Keeping-Tabs-Winter-2024

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INTERVIEW
Interview with Marianne
Bastille-Parent (she/her),
Stikeman Elliott LLP
Aly Háji (he/him), Rickets Harris LLP
Q. Could you tell me a little bit about your practice?
A. My practice is a combination of domestic civil and commercial litigation as well as local and international
arbitration (including proceedings ancillary to international arbitration, such as proceedings for
the recognition and enforcement of arbitration clauses or arbitral awards). I represent clients from a
wide range of industries, mostly in the construction, infrastructure, energy, pharmaceutical and aviation
sectors. I appear before civil courts, at the provincial and federal levels, as well as arbitration tribunals.
Q. Why did you decide to practice international law?
A. My interest in international law sparked early and mostly began on an academic note. At the
University of Ottawa, I pursued a combined degree in civil law and international development and
globalization. This degree allowed me to learn about the legal, economic, geopolitical and globalizing
world we live in.
While in second year of law school, I participated in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot
Court Competition. This experience was a turning point, solidifying my interest in international law
and my inclination towards advocacy. The Jessup competition definitely influenced the trajectory
of my career, which is why I remain fond of this competition to this day and why I acted as a Jessup
coach until 2023.
In my third year of university, I had the privilege of working as a research assistant for Professor
Patrick Dumberry, focusing on investor-state disputes. In a way, this assistantship came with
a revelation: I found investor-State disputes to be a most interesting combination of international
law and more “typical” commercial litigation.
This led me to enrol in the LLM program at Cambridge University in England, which I attended
in 2016 as the recipient of the Paul Martin Senior Scholarship, awarded by the Canadian Institute
for Advanced Legal Studies and the Commonwealth Trust. I opted to write my LLM dissertation
on the intersection between investor-State disputes and aboriginal rights in countries where the
economy is largely oriented towards the exploitation of natural resources.
Before returning to Canada for bar school, I made a quick stop in Paris to attend the Arbitration
Academy. I was very fortunate to meet and exchange with seasoned and aspiring arbitration
practitioners from around the world, in the charming setting that a summer in Paris has to offer.
When I returned to Montréal to begin my career, I aimed to take on every opportunity that
would cross my path to make international law and arbitration part of my domestic practice. This
was not just a professional choice but a reflection of my belief in the power of law to bridge borders
and bring about positive change in our increasingly globalized world.
Q. How did you build an international law
practice in Québec, and how do you maintain
a hybrid domestic/international practice?
A. My practice in Montreal is primarily “local”, i.e.
based on Quebec and Canadian law, but my graduate
studies in international law as well as my willingness
and my interest to be involved in matters
raising issues of international law or questions of
extraneity in Canadian law allowed me to develop,
over time and in a very organic way, a practice in
international law .
Q. Comment avez-vous développé une pratique
du droit international au Québec, et
comment parvenez-vous à maintenir une
pratique hybride à la fois nationale et internationale?
A. Ma pratique à Montréal est principalement
« locale », c’est-à-dire basée sur le droit québécois
et canadien, mais mes études supérieures
en droit international ainsi que ma volonté et
mon intérêt d’être impliquée dans des dossiers
présentant des enjeux de droit international ou
des questions d’extranéité à traiter en droit canadien
m’ont permis de développer, au fil du
temps et de façon très organique, une pratique
en droit international.
Q. Comment cette pratique s’est-elle développée concrètement?
A. Dans mon cas, en saisissant une opportunité à la fois. Au tout début de ma carrière, de nombreux
traités de libre-échange entre le Canada et d’autres États étaient en cours de négociation
et de rédaction. C’était une période de grands changements, y compris au niveau des règles entourant
la résolution des différents entre investisseurs et États. J’ai eu la chance de conseiller des
clients sur les impacts et ramifications de ces évolutions en cours. Il s’agissait de mandats très
stimulants ! Au fil du temps, d’autres opportunités se sont présentées à moi. Plus récemment, j’ai
été impliquée dans un dossier fascinant d’immunité étatique dans le contexte de procédures de
reconnaissance d’une sentence arbitrale internationale. Je travaille actuellement sur un arbitrage
investisseur-État.
Il est important de comprendre qu’il n’y a pas qu’un seul chemin pour pratiquer le droit international
au Québec. Il est possible d’intégrer cette expertise dans une pratique plus locale, comme
c’est le cas pour moi. Le Québec offre un marché riche de possibilités grâce à son bilinguisme et
son bi-juridisme, et il existe de nombreux avantages à avoir une pratique hybride.
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