Armand de Mestral is a CIGI Senior Fellow and professor emeritus at McGill’s Faculty of Law. de Mestral is a contributing author to the recently published book, Complexity’s Embrace : The International Law Implications of Brexit. As a trade law expert, de Mestral has served on World Trade Organization and North American Free Trade Agreement dispute settlement tribunals and arbitrations.
The United Kingdom government is committed to leaving the European Union on March 29, 2019 — a date that is fast approaching. The preferred scenario is for March 29 to be the formal date of departure, but to facilitate departure with a 19-month phase-in period, so the U.K. can clarify its relationships with third countries such as Canada. So, what does that mean for us?