The Trade Law Division’s 25th Anniversary – Canada’s Public Service Excellence

Source: Trade Law
Link: The Trade Law Division’s 25th Anniversary – Canada’s Public Service Excellence

Both Gord LaFortune and Michael Woods had an opportunity to celebrate their trade law roots with over 150 old colleagues and a new generation trade lawyers as the Government of Canada’s Trade Law Davison celebrates its 25th anniversary on June 22, 2018.

In 1993 the Department of External Affairs and International Trade (now Global Affairs Canada) and the Department of Justice (now Justice Canada) created the joint unit made up of lawyers from both departments was called the Trade Law Division with the acronym JLT. Its mandate was to counsel the Government of Canada on all aspects of international trade law. Both Gord and Michael were early members of JLT which has established itself as a model unit for legal advice, advocacy and litigation in international trade and investment law – a Canadian center of excellence in international trade and investment law. As former public servants we noted with pride that that Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Public Policy and the prestigious UK- based Institute for Government was recently rated as the world’s best public service.

We congratulate both former colleagues who helped build the JLT and current hard working men and women who are maintaining it.