| Mr.
Thomas was Senior Policy Advisor to the Canadian
Minister for International Trade during the 1986-87 Canada-U.S. free trade negotiations. In that capacity, he
advised the Minister on the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the Uruguay Round
of Multilateral Trade Negotiations, free trade negotiations
with the United States, and other matters. In July 1991 (with the permission of
the Canadian conflict of interest authorities), he was
retained by the Government of Mexico to provide advice
on all aspects of the negotiation of the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He also provided Mexico advice
on the negotiation of the NAFTA supplementary agreements
on the environment and labour.
Mr. Thomas has served as a member of the GATT 1947
Roster of Non-governmental Panelists and the Roster
of Panelists for Chapters Eighteen and Nineteen of the
Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement.
Mr. Thomas has also been appointed to the WTO Roster of Non-governmental
Panelists and the World Intellectual Property Organization's
Internet Domain Dispute Settlement Roster.
In addition to advising clients on the WTO Agreements,
the NAFTA and other international trade agreements,
Mr. Thomas has acted as counsel in state-to-state dispute
settlement proceedings and investor-state arbitrations.
He provides counsel with respect to Canadian domestic
trade law matters including antidumping and countervailing
duty actions investigations.
Mr. Thomas has a B.A. and LL.B from the University
of British Columbia, an M.A. from Sussex University
and an LL.M. from Columbia University. Formerly an Assistant
and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Universities of
Ottawa and British Columbia, he has written on a wide
range of issues relating to international trade and
investment, and has spoken before audiences in North
America, Europe and Asia.
Mr. Thomas is a member of the American Arbitration
Association (Panel of Neutral Arbitrators), the Law
Society of British Columbia, the Canadian Bar Association,
and the Canadian Council on International Law.
Mr. Thomas was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2002.
|
