Tariffs are a polarizing topic in today’s economic landscape. In this episode, host Erin Brown takes on the role of guest alongside Martin Masse, Senior Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright’s Ottawa office, as they join Ted to dive deep into the world of tariffs and trade disputes. Together, they demystify tariffs—explaining how they function and why they matter.

In this conversation, Erin and Martin provide the historical context around Canada-US trade relations and share how imported goods are classified, and how tariffs are calculated and applied to goods. With businesses facing financial and contractual risks in the year ahead, Erin and Martin highlight the importance of reviewing supply agreements, updating legal clauses, and reassessing trade strategies to mitigate the impact of tariffs. Beyond individual business concerns, the conversation broadens to the larger economic implications—including the push for trade diversification and the evolving role of inter-provincial trade within Canada. Finally, Erin and Martin share practical steps businesses can take to navigate trade uncertainty and prepare for the future.

This episode is accredited 0.58 substantive hours in Ontario and 0.58 substantive hours in British Columbia.

Guests:

• Martin Masse

It’s that exciting time of year again, the release of the Norton Rose Fulbright Annual Litigation Trends Survey! Join hosts Ted and Erin as they dive into this year’s findings and what they mean for corporate counsel in 2025. In this episode, they break down some of the most pressing issues uncovered in the survey, including greenwashing risks, evolving cybersecurity regulations, and shifts in class action litigation. Helping to unpack these insights are three guests each bringing their expertise to the discussion.

Ray Chartier, Senior Partner in the Calgary office and Canadian Co-Head of Responsible Business & Sustainability, examines the growing risks of greenwashing and its impact on Canadian and U.S. markets. John Cassell, Partner in the Calgary office and Canadian Co-Head of Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, explores how the survey reflects major legislative changes ahead for cybersecurity law in Canada. Finally, François-David Paré, Partner in the Montreal office and Co-Chair of the National Class Actions Team, highlights the increasing focus on consumer protection class actions, a key concern in this year’s findings.

For more information on our Litigation Trends Survey and access to the 2025 summit recording, visit our 2025 Annual Litigation Trends Survey webpage here.

This episode is accredited 0.5 substantive hours in Ontario, and 0.5 substantive hours in British Columbia.

Guests:

• François-David Paré
• John Cassell
• Ray Chartier

How much deference do the courts owe regulators? Should courts review regulations differently than other forms of administrative action? In a landmark pair of rulings released late last year, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified the standard of review for challenging regulations in Canada. The SCC’s new guidance in Auer and TransAlta is already impacting businesses in industries and sectors across the country. In this episode of Disputed, Ted and Erin take a deep dive into the SCC’s twin decisions in order to uncover the key takeaways for regulators and regulated businesses in this new legal landscape.

To help guide them through the nuances of Auer and TransAlta, and the cases leading up to them, Ted and Erin are joined by Jean-Simon Schoenholz and Christopher Guerreiro of our firm’s Public Strategy Group – two lawyers with considerable experience litigating these questions. Jean-Simon is a partner based in Ottawa whose practice focuses on public law, appellate advocacy and commercial litigation. Chris is Of Counsel with the firm, based in Toronto. His practice focuses on high-stakes litigation with an emphasis on cases involving intellectual property, administrative law, life sciences and high-technology industries.

This episode is accredited 0.82 substantive hours in Ontario and 0.82 substantive hours in British Columbia.

Guests:

• Jean-Simon Schoenholz
• Chris Guerreiro