5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Aura Tour and Dinner at Gaspar in Old Montreal

The tour and dinner requires pre-registration and limited spots are available. Only those who select this option during registration will be signed up for the tour / dinner. 

*If you have signed up for the dinner, CBA staff will reach out to you directly to collect payment, meal choice and dietary restrictions closer to the date. 

5:15 pm - Meet in the Hotel Nelligan Lobby
5:30 pm - Depart for AURA Tour with Tour Guide
6:00 pm - AURA TOUR
7:30 pm - Dinner at Gaspar

9:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Welcome Reception: Death by Chocolate at Hotel Nelligan
Sponsor

Room: Royale ABC
This reception is complementary and available to all registered attendees.

9:25 pm – 9:35 pm

Bill Miller Award Presentation

Award Presenter: Susan Hutton, Stikeman Elliott (Ottawa, ON)

Award Recipients:
Margaret Sanderson, Charles River Associates (Toronto, ON)
Andy Baziliauskas, Charles River Associates (Toronto, ON)
Winning paper: Should Canada Overhaul the SPLC Test for Mergers?

7:45 am - 8:45 am

Registration and Breakfast

Room: Méchant Bœuf

8:45 am - 9:00 am

Welcome and Introduction

Room: Royale ABC

Conference co-chairs:
Josh Krane, McMillan LLP (Ottawa, ON)
Pascale Dionne-Bourassa, Bennett Jones LLP (Montreal, QC)

9:00 am – 10:30 am

Opening Plenary
Session 1: Private Access – A New Frontier in Canadian Competition Law?

Room: Royale ABC

Bill C-59 permits private parties to seek relief from the Competition Tribunal for anti-competitive agreements, including vertical agreements, and deceptive marketing and misleading advertising, claim “damages” for a variety of anti-competitive conduct and arguably lowers the bar to access. Experts from the defense bar and plaintiff’s bar will discuss whether Bill C-59 will fundamentally change competition litigation in Canada and what the future may look like in Canada for private access.

Speakers:
David Bourgoin, BGA Avocats S.E.N.C.R.L. (Quebec, QC)
Joséane Chrétien, McMillan LLP (Montreal, QC)
Éric Lefebvre, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP (Montreal, QC)
Saro Turner, Slater Vecchio LLP (Vancouver, BC)

Moderator: Crawford Smith, Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP (Toronto, ON)

10:30 am – 10:45 am

Break
Sponsor

Room: Méchant Bœuf

10:45 am – 12:15 pm

Session 2: A fireside chat with Canada’s AI leaders
Sponsor

Room: Royale ABC

Montreal has become a global hub for research and innovation in artificial intelligence. Hear first hand from leading experts in artificial intelligence about the impact of AI on innovation in Canada and around the world and what the future may hold for all of us.

Speakers:
Misha Benjamin, BCF Business Law (Montreal, QC)
The Honourable David Lametti, PC K.C., former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; Fasken Martineau DuMoulin (Montreal, QC)
Paul Gagnon, BCF Business Law (Montreal, QC)
Alex Shee, Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (“GPAI”) (Montreal, QC)

Moderator: Fiona Schaeffer, Milbank LLP (New York, NY)

12:15 pm – 12:50 pm

Lunch Service in Méchant Bœuf
Sponsor

12:50 pm – 1:10 pm

Auction for Colleen Gray Painting (Royale ABC)

Colleen Gray Art
All proceeds from the painting auction will be donated to the The First Peoples Justice Center of Montreal.

Auctioneer: Josh Krane, McMillan LLP

1:10 pm – 1:50 pm

Luncheon with Keynote Fireside chat with Members of the Competition Tribunal/Federal Court of Canada (Royal ABC)
Sponsor

Speakers:
The Honourable Andrew D. Little, Federal Court of Canada; Chair of the Competition Tribunal (Ottawa, ON)
The Honourable Jocelyne Gagné, Federal Court of Canada; Judicial Member of the Competition Tribunal (Ottawa, ON)

Moderator: Pascale Dionne-Bourassa, Bennett Jones LLP (Montreal, QC)

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Session 3: Abuse of Dominance v. Unfair Competition – What’s the Difference?
Sponsor

Room: Royale ABC

Bill C-56 -The Affordable Housing and Groceries Act has upended the understanding of dominance and unfair competition in Canada. Are non-competes, exclusivity clauses, most favoured nation clauses, meet or release clauses, and information sharing permitted in Canada? What exactly is price gouging? What impact, if any, will the amendments have on innovation and competitive dynamism in the tech sector, the pharma sector and beyond and what should Canadian businesses be doing to shield themselves from legal action.

Speakers:
Jennifer Quaid, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Civil Law (Ottawa, ON)
Martin Simard, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Rebecca Wagner, Torys LLP (Toronto, ON)

Moderator: Janet Bolton, Independant Lawyer and Consultant, Canadian Bankers (Toronto, ON)

3:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Break

Room: Méchant Bœuf

3:45 pm – 5:00 pm

Closing Plenary: Merger Review - Does competition law and Canada’s foreign investment review enable or hinder innovation?

Room: Royale ABC

Some technology start-ups aspire to be the next Amazon, Apple or Microsoft, while other founders aspire for a successful exit; along the way they all need funding whether from the public market, private equity or strategic partners. This panel will explore whether new or proposed amendments to the Competition Act and Investment Canada Act and government policy and approach will make it harder for businesses in Canada in the AI, technology, data security and videogame sectors to raise capital and pursue strategic acquisitions and what impacts that will have on the investment, tech and broader business communities in Canada

Speakers:
Michaël Hassan, Sagard (Montreal, QC)
David McFarlane, FGS Longview (Montreal, QC)
Jeanne Pratt, Senior Deputy Commissioner of Mergers and Monopolistic Practices Branch, Competition Bureau (Gatineau, QC)
Karim Sharobim, Inovia Capital (Montreal, QC)

Moderator: Scott Rozansky, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (Montreal, QC)