CROWN COUNSEL

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The Ministry of the Attorney General has a challenging opportunity for a Trade Law Counsel to join the Legal Services Branch of the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, which leads the provincial government on international and domestic trade matters.

Each application must be sent individually. Collective applications will not be accepted. It is mandatory to quote the Job ID on the subject line of your email and your application.

The Legal Services branch welcomes applications from candidates who can contribute to the goal of promoting a diverse, respectful and supportive workplace.

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About the job

Duties will include:

• Providing substantive legal advice, both written and oral, on issues and disputes arising under domestic and international trade agreements, e.g. the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and World Trade Organization Agreements (WTO Agreements), and trade negotiations
• Working independently and as a team member in providing advice on the trade law implications of legislative, policy and program initiatives for various ministries
• Assisting in research, training and education initiatives

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What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• Membership in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario

Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrated experience providing trade law advice on the consistency of government measures, including legislation, programs, policies and practices, with obligations under domestic and international trade agreements, e.g. the CETA, CFTA, CPTPP, NAFTA and WTO Agreements
• Comprehensive knowledge of the rules governing international trade and investment agreements, including market access, subsidy, procurement, investment and dispute settlement rules
• Demonstrated knowledge of both federal and provincial roles in trade disputes and negotiations as well as with government decision-making processes
• Experience with conducting or supporting international and domestic trade and investment litigation, and international and domestic trade negotiations
• Ability to recognize and assess trade law implications under proposed and existing programs and initiatives and able to provide innovative, strategic and solutions-oriented legal advice to complex time-sensitive, high-profile trade issues
• Well-organized oral and written communication skills, including drafting opinions with short turnaround times
• Demonstrated team player

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Additional information:

Note:

• In accordance with the Ontario Public Service (OPS), Employment Screening Checks Policy (ESCP), the top candidate(s) may be required to undergo a security screening check. Refer to the above to determine the screening checks that are required for this position.
  
  You will be responsible for obtaining the criminal record check at your own expense and provide it, along with your written consent, to the Transition and Security Office (TSO), Talent Acquisition Branch (TAB), HR Service Delivery Division (HRSDD) to evaluate the results. If applicable, the TSO, with your written consent, will request and obtain any additional employment screening checks that were not obtained directly by you. (Note: If a Vulnerable Sector Screening Check is required, it must also be obtained in person at your local police service).
  
  A record under the Criminal Code and/or other federal offence record(s) does not automatically mean you will be ineligible for the position. The employment screening check(s) will only be reviewed and evaluated by the TSO for the purpose of making a security clearance decision. The details of an individual's employment screening check(s) will be considered in specific relation to the duties and responsibilities of the position being filled. Employment screening check records will be maintained by the TSO and kept strictly confidential.
• Your application sent via method one must be sent as an attachment in either MS Word (.doc, .docx), PDF (.pdf), Rich Text (.rtf) or Plain Text (.txt) format, less than 2MB in size and must not be password protected.

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Language requirements and assessment:
All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

Exigences en matière de langue et évaluation:
Toutes les offres d'emploi externes de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (FPO) sont affichées en français et en anglais. Consultez la section « Langue du ou des postes » en haut de chaque offre d'emploi pour connaître les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont évalués en anglais, la langue d'affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/français), vous devrez également passer un test de compétences linguistiques en français.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Information collection notice

We are collecting your personal information to assess how well you meet the qualifications for employment with the Ontario Public Service, and for related recruitment purposes. The collection of personal information is necessary to the proper administration of OPS Careers, which is an authorized common service in accordance with s. 6 of the Ministry of Government Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.25.

Please do not include any more personal information than is needed for your application (for example, do not include your photograph or social insurance number).

If you have any questions about how your information is collected, used, shared or saved, please contact us.