Rhona Einbinder-Miller

Rhona Einbinder-Miller, Q.C. is a seasoned bilingual lawyer, and Member in good standing of the Barreau du Québec, with over 36 years experience with the Canadian Department of Justice. She is a graduate of McGill University Law School and recipient of a fellowship and Diploma in Legislative Drafting from the University of Ottawa. Rhona has extensive experience in the drafting and policy development of legislation relating to anti-trust law, telecommunications law, business and trade law, privacy law, cybercrime and electronic commerce. She is a leading expert in interpreting legislation and developing policy in these areas, with

• extensive experience in the development, drafting and delivery of legislative proposals and compliance and regulatory policy initiatives requiring knowledge of formal government policies and machinery of government

• Proven track record in the provision of relevant policy and legal advice on a range of complex and high profile issues to deputy ministers, heads of commissions and tribunals, as well as ministers of the Crown

• extensive experience assisting private sector firms in avoiding or mitigating exposure to regulatory action, building robust compliance programs and advising on prospective business plans

Prior to retiring from the Department of Justice in September, 2014, she held the position of Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel of the Competition Bureau Legal Services, having acted as Executive Director and Senior General Counsel for the Competition Bureau Legal Services between December 2008 and December 2011. Before taking on a management role at CBLS, and in her capacity as General Counsel Legislative amendments, Rhona was a key member of the team responsible for drafting the 2009/2010 amendments to the Competition Act, including major revisions to the price fixing, merger notification and deceptive marketing practice provisions. Since joining CBLS in 2002, she was responsible for developing legal policy and proposed legislative drafts for all amendments to the Competition Act, as well as the Consumer Textile Labelling Act and the Textile Labelling Act and regulations under those Acts. She also was a key player in the legislative policy development and drafting of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation and in developing legislative proposals relating to cyber-crime and electronic commerce.

From 1998 to 1999, Rhona worked at the House of Commons as Senior Legislative Counsel and Manager of the Legislative Unit of counsel and legislative clerks, responsible for the provision of legislative drafting and support services and the drafting and publication of private members bills. Between 1978 and 2002, she drafted legislation as legislative counsel with the Legislative Services Branch of the Department of Justice, with extensive experience in acting as lead drafter of complex legislation in all areas of law, with particular emphasis on criminal, trade and commercial laws.

Rhona also served as a member of a federal/provincial/territorial working group on cyber-crime between 2004 and 2014.

Ian Nielsen-Jones is an economist by training having earned Bachelor and Masters degrees from two universities in Canada. For the last 25 years, he has held executive-level positions with consumer product, communications and technology companies, international consulting groups, and Canadian government agencies.

Ian began his career with the Competition Bureau where he rose to the second highest position, Deputy Commissioner of Competition. He then became President of the Ontario Lottery Corporation, the fifth largest lottery organization in North America with annual sales of 2 billion Canadian dollars. He was subsequently recruited by The Rank Organization, a large British company, to lead its investment activities in the North American entertainment industry. He has also served as the Chief Operating Officer for a communications company in California and as the Chief Executive Officer for two international consulting firms that provided assessments to governments and companies with regard to the implementation or improvement of business operations and government programs.

In 2004, Ian returned to serve seven more years with the Competition Bureau where he was responsible for two regional offices investigating bid-rigging, conspiracy and mass marketing fraud activity. He was also responsible for making presentations to public and private organizations regarding the Bureau and its enforcement activities.

Between 2011 and 2013 Ian worked with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development specializing in providing advice on how to detect and avoid bid-rigging and to increase competition in government procurement practices. Since then,, Ian has been a consultant  with assignments in Barbados, Canada, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United States relating to energy regulation, competition policy, telecom policy, privacy issues, misleading advertising and anti-fraud enforcement and effective purchasing practices. He has written reports and provided training programs regarding these subjects.

Ian has taught competition law at Queen's University in Canada, been a guest lecturer at four other universities and has had numerous articles and speeches published.

Sally Southey is a seasoned bilingual leader with 35 years of Canadian and international experience managing difficult communications challenges, shaping policy and advocating for Canada. She is currently President of Southey Consultants providing strategic communications and policy advice. Sally spent 2 years at the Canadian Radio and Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as the Director General of Strategic Communications and Parliamentary Affairs and as Special Advisor International Affairs. Prior to that, she was Vice-President, External Relations and Communications for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Sally was the Minister-Counsellor, Public Affairs, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC from 2006 to 2010. As head of Public Affairs, she was responsible for media relations, internet outreach, academic and think tank relations and cultural affairs for the Government of Canada in Washington DC.

Prior to moving to Washington, Sally was the Deputy Commissioner, External and Public Relations at Canada’s Competition Bureau. Ms. Southey spent 25 years in the federal public service before retiring in 2013.

Before becoming a public servant she spent 10 years as a radio, television and newspaper journalist in 4 Canadian provinces and in Geneva Switzerland. In this capacity she has travelled extensively in Europe, Asia and Africa. Ms. Southey has a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Hautes Etudes Internationals in Geneva (thesis not presented) and an Honours BA from Queen’s University in Political Science, History and Geography.

Michael Sullivan is a competition law and policy expert with more than 32 years of experience at the Canadian Competition Bureau. He has worked in several areas of the law, including criminal matters, merger review, international coordination and legislative development.

Prior to retiring from the Competition Bureau in February 2015, as a Major Case Director and Strategic Policy Advisor, Michael led the Bureau's efforts to modernize guidance on compliance programs. From 2002 to mid 2013, he was responsible for managing international and domestic price-fixing and bid-rigging investigations, and worked extensively with the Bureau's Immunity and Leniency Programs and Crown counsel. Michael was also a long-standing member of the Bureau's Enforcement Policy Committee.

Previously, Michael reviewed over 300 merger transactions. These included a number of high profile, complex investigations involving negotiating remedies and Competition Tribunal proceedings. Over the years, Michael has been extensively involved in legislative amendments and, in 2007-8, was seconded to the Competition Policy Review Panel Secretariat as the Panel's in-house competition policy expert.  The Panel's report, Compete to Win, also known as the Wilson Report, led to significant revisions to Canada's competition and foreign investment laws in 2009.

Michael has coordinated and cooperated with competition authorities in the United States, the European Union, Japan and Australia on many cases and policies, and represented the Bureau at the International Competition Network, the OECD and APEC.

Michael has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours Economics) degree from Saint Mary's University and a Master's of Arts in Economics from Queen's University. He has taught competition law at Queen’s University Faculty of Law and at the University of Western Ontario, and has published a number of articles in the competition law.