With the full impact of the United Kingdom's recent general election results still under assessment, the International Business section of the Alberta Branch of the Canadian Bar Association hosted a timely panel discussion in Calgary examining the impact of Brexit, the UK's announced departure from the European Union, negotiations concerning which began on Monday, June 19.
Four speakers were invited to share their views, including UAlberta Law's Professor Joanna Harrington, as well as Caroline Saunders, the UK's Consul General for the prairie provinces; Brandon Rasula, Prosperity Officer at the British Consulate-General in Calgary; and Tony Cioni, founding partner with CITO Energy Law LLP.
Discussions focused on both the negotiations around a withdrawal agreement aimed at addressing the fundamental issues of "people, money, and borders" and the desire to negotiate a new free trade agreement. The panel also examined the possible impact of Brexit on UK-Canada relations and on the new EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).