Wendy J. Wagner

About Wendy J. Wagner

Wendy J. Wagner is a partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office, where the practice centres on international trade and cyber security and data protection. Wagner leads the firm's Regulatory Practice Group, heads its International Trade Group and co-leads the Cyber Security & Data Protection Group in Canada.

On trade files, companies turn to Wagner with questions about tariffs, customs compliance, sanctions, and import and export controls. When a matter becomes contested, Wagner appears for clients at the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and in court, on everything from customs appeals to anti-dumping and countervailing investigations. Wagner also sits on that tribunal's Advisory Committee, and Chambers Canada ranks Wagner in Band 2 for International Trade/WTO nationwide.

Privacy and digital risk make up the other side of the advisory work. Wagner drafts policies, data processing agreements and privacy impact assessments, counsels on harder questions such as biometrics and automated decision-making, and serves as a breach coach when an incident hits. Holding the CIPP/C designation, Wagner is Canada's delegate to the International Network of Privacy Professionals.

Beyond the trade and cyber work, Wagner also litigates. Wagner takes judicial reviews and appeals in the Federal and Ontario courts on administrative, constitutional and defamation issues, and was counsel with Richard G. Dearden in two 2009 Supreme Court of Canada appeals involving the Ottawa Citizen. Before joining Gowling WLG, Wagner clerked for Justice Bastarache at the Supreme Court. Wagner was called to the Ontario bar in 2002, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. You'll also see Wagner's commentary in the Globe and Mail, on CTV News and on BNN Bloomberg.