Tag Archives: CFTA

Mark Warner was featured on CTV Your Morning about Canadian federal and provincial initiatives to remove interprovincial barriers to trade in response to the tariff threats from U.S. President Trump. (May 9, 2025) Mr. Warner is a Canadian and U.S. lawyer who has practiced in Toronto, Washington, D.C., New York and Brussels. Mark also previously worked on trade and competition issues as counsel in the OECD Trade Directorate where he participated in the negotiations of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and represented the OECD at meetings of the WTO Working Group on Trade and Competition Policy and the Working Group on Trade and Investment.

As Legal Director of the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development & Trade, Mark was involved with various disputes under the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) and negotiations that lead to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). In addition, Mark led Ontario’s legal team for the negotiation of the the Canada-U.S. Agreement on Government Procurement and the Canada-EU Trade Agreement, including on matters including: Cross Border Trade in Services; Temporary Entry and Stay of Natural Persons for Business Purposes; Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications; and Regulatory Cooperation. and Mark also advised on trade disputes including the Green Energy Act and softwood lumber and various NAFTA Chapter 11 investor-state arbitration matters.

Mark is a past Chair of the International and Economics Committees of the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law as well as a member of the Section’s Task Forces on Competition Policy and NAFTA and Antitrust in the Global Economy. In addition to being a lawyer, Mr. Warner has a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Toronto.

Mark Warner was interviewed on Newstalk1010 about Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s comments about “lifting” all interprovincial #trade barriers and speeding up the approval process for newcomers with foreign credentials. (April 26, 2022) Mr. Warner is a Canadian and U.S. lawyer who has practiced in Toronto, Washington, DC and New York and has advised governments on trade policy and trade negotiations and previously worked on trade and competition issues as counsel in the OECD Trade Directorate. Mr. Warner was Legal Director of the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development & Trade and advised Ontario on the Agreement on Internal Trade and the Canada-U.S. Agreement on Government Procurement in the Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiations advised on matters including: Cross Border Trade in Services; Temporary Entry and Stay of Natural Persons for Business Purposes; Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications; and Regulatory Cooperation. Mr. Warner also advised Ontario on provided advice on advised on trade disputes (including softwood lumber and the Green Energy Act WTO dispute settlement proceedings) and advised on various NAFTA Chapter 11 investor-state dispute arbitrations (including the Ambassador Bridge, Adam’s Mine and St. Mary’s Cement). Mr. Warner led the Province’s legal team for the insolvency / restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler. He is co-author of a leading Canadian trade law treatise, has also published numerous articles and has been invited to speak at conferences around the world.

Mark Warner was interviewed by AM660 in Saskatoon about the attempts by the Premier of Saskatchewan to entice a Calgary-based company to relocate to Saskatchewan from Alberta and the potential application of the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) and the New West Partnership Trade Agreement. (March 30, 2017)  Mr. Warner was Legal Director of the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development & Trade providing strategic legal advice with respect to the Ontario’s economic development, research and innovation grants and loans to corporations. In addition, Mr. Warner provided advice to the Government of Ontario on the negotiations and disputes under the AIT, the negotiation of the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the design of the Green Energy Act and related WTO dispute settlement proceedings. Mr. Warner, a Canadian and U.S. lawyer, advises governments, companies and industry associations on trade policy and trade negotiations and previously worked on trade and competition issues as counsel in the OECD Trade Directorate, .