Torys LLP Podcasts

Fiat-backed stablecoins are swiftly gaining ground as an alternative means of payment—but how can Canada harness the full potential of the digital revolution? Without a clear domestic framework to support the use of blockchain-based payments linked to the Canadian dollar, Canadian digital payments risk being eclipsed by foreign-issued stablecoins, which could weaken domestic regulatory control over the system as a whole. In this podcast, taken from a recent webinar, members of Tor...

In this special edition episode of Breakfast With Appeal, Andrew Bernstein sits down with the Hon. Arif Virani, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to discuss his tenure as Canada’s chief law officer, providing his views on the critical questions and philosophies underpinning the decision-making process when defending government legislation and mandates (originally recorded on September 17, 2025).

As financial crime grows increasingly sophisticated, regulatory scrutiny for reporting entities is on the rise. In this conversation, Torys’ AML team explores the latest regulatory developments, trends and emerging risks in anti-money laundering enforcement efforts, and explores best practices for dealing with FINTRAC to proactively reduce the risk of enforcement action. This podcast, taken from a recent webinar, provides an overview of FINTRAC’s supervisory framework and its Administra...

With 16 years at CPPIB under her belt, Heather Tobin, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Factor Investing, has all but written the book on leadership at Canada’s largest pension fund—even if it’s not yet on Goodreads. In this wide-ranging conversation, Heather discusses her globally impactful career, the importance of strategic alignment when managing with cross-global teams, and the perspective she’s gained in helping to build an investment portfolio that thinks not in years, but in...

As governments across Canada prepare to fast-track “nation building” infrastructure projects, developers, lenders, construction firms and other stakeholders need to be aware of litigation risk from the outset. In this episode of Shovel-ready, members of our integrated Development and Projects Litigation team describe how best to use contractual and statutory dispute mechanisms to keep projects on track.

While international tax treaties allocate taxing authority between sovereign nations according to a taxpayer’s place of residence, the cross-border nature of the digital economy raises a significant question for treaty negotiators: in a world where so much business is done in the cloud, does residence-based taxation still make sense? Listen in on tax partner Scott Semer’s wide-ranging conversation with David Rosenbloom, renowned tax scholar and negotiator in the Canada-U.S. tax treaty, for th...

The doctrine of interjurisdictional immunity identifies which level of government—federal or provincial—has authority over specific subjects, and to what degree one level of government can intervene in the “core” of another’s powers. In two recent cases, the Supreme Court expanded the limits of interjurisdictional immunity—but the situation remains “complicated.”

The United States is redefining its role as a global trading partner. In this wide-ranging conversation, Canada’s former chief negotiator, Steve Verheul, outlines key considerations and priorities for Canada as it carves out its place on the international stage and meets the challenges of the ongoing trade war.

There’s a fine line between legislative intent and legislative meddling, and in a recent decision, the BC Court of Appeal sought to find it, arguing that the B.C. Legislature’s attempt to retroactively pass legislation to allow for amendments to a zoning bylaw constituted an infringement of the separation of powers (originally recorded on February 26, 2025).

In York Region School District v. Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, the Supreme Court ruled that, in accordance with Charter rights, school board employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy regarding content on board-issued electronic devices (originally recorded on September 18, 2024).

In Canada (Attorney General) v. Power, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Charter claimants can potentially claim damages against the Crown for enacting unconstitutional legislation—but the threshold for seeking such damages remains high (originally recorded on September 18, 2024).

AI’s ability to automate is transforming traditional workflows and transactions, but in this fast-paced era, it can be difficult to predict the full extent of AI’s influence on complex tasks such as due diligence and dealmaking. In this podcast, our New York tax partner Scott Semer is joined by Nick Kato, founder of Leo Berwick and co-founder of Elbe, to explore the impact of AI on professional services, and what the future holds for the role of dealmakers, lawyers and others in the professio...