Research Paper Number

26/2016

Investment Treaties and the Internal Vetting of Regulatory Proposals: A Case Study from Canada

Authors

Gus Van Harten, Osgoode Hall Law School of York UniversityFollow
Dayna Nadine ScottFollow

Available on SSRN.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Keywords

ISDS, arbitration, regulation, regulatory chill, litigation risk, environmental protection

Abstract

In this paper, we report findings on whether trade and investment agreements that allow for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) contribute to regulatory chill. The study focused on whether ISDS contributed to changes in internal vetting of government decisions related to environmental protection in the province of Ontario, Canada. Our main source of information was confidential interviews with insiders, mostly current or former officials in ministries with an environmental or trade mandate. We aimed to advance understanding of litigation risk and government decision-making with a focus on ISDS.

Recommended Citation

Van Harten, Gus and Scott, Dayna Nadine, "Investment Treaties and the Internal Vetting of Regulatory Proposals: A Case Study from Canada" (2016). Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series. 151.
https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/olsrps/151