The Canadian Council on International Law (CCIL) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1972 by Sir Ronald St. John Macdonald. The mandate of the organization is to further the worldwide discussion of international legal issues including public and private international law. The organization brings together all four sectors of law, namely private practitioners, scholars, NGO's, and government lawyers, through various events and an annual Conference held at the Government of Canada facility of foreign affairs, currently known as Global Affairs Canada.
The organization also honours outstanding lawyers and students through awards and scholarships, including the John E. Read Medal, the Public Sector Lawyer Award, the Leslie C. Green Veterans Scholarship and, importantly, the John Peters Humphrey Student Fellowships.
Former recipients of the John E. Read Medal include: Stephen Toope, current Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto; and Donald McRae, Hyman Soloway Chair and Full Professor at the University of Ottawa.
Past President's of the organization include: the above-noted Stephen Toope; Donald McRae; Valerie Hughes, sitting Director, Legal Affairs, of the Word Trade Organization Secretariat; Robert Brookfield, Deputy Legal Adviser and Director General, Trade Law Bureau, Global Affairs Canada; and, Craig Forcese, Associate Professor, at the University of Ottawa. The full list is on their website.
The current sitting President of the organization is Adrienne Jarabek Marion, a human rights lawyer in Ottawa. Spouse to Jean-Luc Marion. The current Vice President is Andrew Lanouette, international trade counsel at Cassidy Levy Kent.