Matthew is a partner in the Competition, International Trade and Foreign Investment Group of our Toronto office. He specializes in cross-border compliance and dispute resolution under trade agreements, investment treaties and Canadian law.
He assists business and government clients from around the world in trade negotiations and disputes under agreements such as the WTO Agreement, the USMCA and the CPTPP; in trade remedy proceedings; and in navigating economic sanctions and export control laws.
Matthew has led legal teams in WTO panel and Appellate Body proceedings in matters involving subsidies, dumping, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers and tariffs, and in investment arbitrations under the NAFTA.
Matthew was previously Director-General of the Government of Canada’s Trade Law Bureau (from 2009–2012) and served in the Bureau for fifteen years. He was Canada’s chief legal counsel in the negotiation of the CETA with the European Union and various other trade and investment treaty negotiations. He began his career as a foreign service officer, including a posting to the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., where he focused on trade and economic sanctions legislation and trans-border resource and environmental issues.
Matthew teaches international trade and investment arbitration as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and is appointed to Canada’s rosters of panelists under the USMCA and the CETA.
Representative Work
- Purolator
Purolator in its acquisition of Livingston International
Purolator in its acquisition of Livingston International
*Prior to joining Osler:
Alberta Softwood Lumber Trade Council
Government of the United Kingdom in the negotiation of four free trade and investment agreements and accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
A Canadian dairy industry association in USMCA and CPTPP disputes regarding tariff-rate quota administration
Canusa Wood Products Limited, Hardwoods Specialty Products LP, McCorry & Co. Ltd. and Panoply Wood Products Inc. in a trade remedy investigation and judicial review proceedings
Ashley Furniture Industries LLC and Violino Hong Kong Ld. in a Canadian International Trade Tribunal injury inquiry
CIMC Vehicles (Group) Co., Ltd. and Groupe St-Henri in a Canadian International Trade Tribunal injury inquiry
An SOE in a Gulf state with respect to the application of investment treaty obligations
A Canadian mining company with respect to a potential investment treaty dispute
The investment arm of a Canadian financial institution with respect to Russia-related sanctions compliance by an acquisition target
International maritime transportation companies with respect to the operation of Canadian economic sanctions and export controls
Latest Insights
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Osler Update April 4, 2025
Trump tariffs: Canada mostly avoids U.S. ‘reciprocal’ tariffs…for now
We describe the key details of the executive order, explain how it does and does not affect Canadian goods and discuss what to expect next.
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Osler Update April 1, 2025
Trump tariffs: executive order imposing ‘automobile’ tariffs slams North American automotive integration into reverse
We discuss the scope of the automotive tariff, how it builds upon measures from President Trump’s first term and what it could mean for the CUSMA.
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Osler Update March 27, 2025
Steel safeguards…without the safeguards?
We discuss WTO safeguard measures, the recent history of tariffs on steel imports and why Canada will need to proceed cautiously.
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Webinar March 19, 2025
The impact of U.S. tariffs on the Canadian construction industry
Osler’s International Trade and Construction and Infrastructure groups explored the implications of the recently announced U.S. tariffs on...
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Awards and Recognition
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Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business: Recognized in International Trade/WTO – Nationwide (Band 1)
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Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Business Lawyers 2023: International Trade/WTO
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The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2023: International Trade Regulation
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Lexpert’s Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers: A Guide to Doing Business in Canada: Recognized in International Trade Regulation
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The Legal 500 2023: International Trade
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Who’s Who Legal: Trade and Customs
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Best Lawyers in Canada: International Trade and Finance
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Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in International Law 2017
Media Mentions
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Media Mentions March 20, 2025
At the front lines of the trade war: what’s exempt, what isn’t, and what’s still to come – Financial Post
Matthew Kronby spoke to the Financial Post about the complicated arithmetic companies face about how to approach their exports.
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Osler News February 13, 2025
Osler recognized as a leading firm in Chambers Global 2025 Guide
Osler has been recognized as a leading firm in the Chambers Global 2025 Guide.
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Media Mentions February 7, 2025
Canadian businesses operating in the U.S. could ‘pay heavy price’ for digital services tax – Financial Post
An obscure American tax code clause could double corporate taxes paid by Canadian companies operating in the U.S. if the Trump administration...
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Osler News January 9, 2024
34 Osler lawyers recognized in 2024 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada
Osler is pleased to announce that 34 of our lawyers have been recognized in the 2024 edition of the Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500...
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Community Involvement
- TradeLab (Queen’s University), Mentor
Speaking and Writing
Speaking Engagements
Canada’s forced and child labour import ban: apparel sector risks
Read moreCanada’s Forced Labour Import Ban and Other Energy-Related Trade Issues
Read more“Market access in the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement”, XII Specialized Course on International Trade (ICC Mexico – Universidad de Monterrey), February 2, 2023
“Navigating trade conflicts in the new global environment”, International Bar Association Annual Conference, Miami, USA, November 3, 2022
“Trade Policy: What Matters to Canadian Business?” Queen’s Institute on Trade Policy, November 18, 2021
Co-moderator, “Hot topics in international sales, trade, franchising and product law,” International Bar Association Annual Conference, Seoul, South Korea, September 23, 2019.“WTO Year Ahead”, 40th Annual Georgetown Trade Law Update, Washington, DC, March 7, 2019
Speaker, “CETA Workshop,” CETA Market Access Program for EU Business, Toronto, November 8, 2018.
Credentials
Education
- University of Toronto, LL.B.
- McGill University, B.A. (Hons.)
Languages
- English
Professional Affiliations
- International Bar Association International Trade and Customs Law Committee, Co-Chair
- International Law Association Canada, Vice-President and Director
- Canadian Bar Association International Law Section
