On October 5th, after seven long years of negotiations, twelve Pacific Rim nations including Canada reached a comprehensive trade agreement we call The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The agreement contains measures to reduce barriers to trade (tariff and non-tariff) and chapters that seek to harmonize regulatory frameworks to facilitate trade in services and Transnational investment. Proponents of the TPP point to a study done by economists at the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics projecting a 0.5% bump in Canadian economic output by 2025. That’s a $10-billion-a-year boost. Opponents point to restrictions on digital rights, investor dispute settlement and suggest that the economic gains will be a lot more muted than the proponents suggest, less than $2 billion a year.

What does the TPP hold for Canadian business and for Canadian citizens? Does this agreement make us more competitive? Do the gains made justify concessions Canada made? Join us for a pint as Brian Kingston, Vice President with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and Dr. Michael Geist, Professor of Law at Ottawa University, share their ideas and discuss the implications of the TPP, and respond to your questions.

Speakers’ Biographies
Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. He has obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees from Cambridge University in the UK and Columbia Law School in New York, and a Doctorate in Law (J.S.D.) from Columbia Law School. Dr. Geist is a syndicated columnist on technology law issues with his regular column appearing in the Toronto Star and the Hill Times. Dr. Geist is the editor of many books including Law, Privacy and Surveillance in Canada in the Post-Snowden Era (2015, University of Ottawa Press), The Copyright Pentalogy: How the Supreme Court of Canada Shook the Foundations of Canadian Copyright Law (2013, University of Ottawa Press), From “Radical Extremism” to “Balanced Copyright”: Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agenda (2010, Irwin Law) and In the P ublic Interest: The Future of Canadian Copyright Law (2005, Irwin Law).He is also the editor of several monthly technology law publications, and the author of a popular blog on Internet and intellectual property law issues.

Brian Kingston is the Vice President of Policy of International and Fiscal Issues with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. He leads the Council’s work on international trade, fiscal and monetary policy issues. Prior to joining the CCCE, Brian worked at Global Affairs Canada, where he focused on international trade negotiations. Brian has comprehensive experience across the federal government as a graduate of the Accelerated Economist Training Program, a leadership development program that includes placements at the Department of Finance, the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Privy Council Office. In addition to his experience in business and government, Brian is active in the non-profit sector as the Vice-President, Global Operations, Young Canadians in Finance and as a board member of the Ottawa Economics Association. Brian is an Action Canada Fellow, World Economic Forum Global Shaper and alumnus of the 2015 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Carleton University and a master’s degree in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.

Date and Time
Monday January 11, 2016
6:30pm to 8:30pm

Venue
Hooley’s Pub
292 Elgin Street
Ottawa, ON  K2P 1M3

Registration
Tickets sold at the door
CIC Members: $5 (includes one beer or drink)
Non CIC Members: $10 (includes one beer or drink)

Event Contact
Snookie Lomow | ottawa@thecic.org | (613)903-4011