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Alexandre W.
Buswell

Partner

Montréal

Contact by email at [email protected]

t. 514-397-5499

67851

Law School

Université de Montréal

Bar Admission

Québec, 1997

Recognized as a leading lawyer in employment law in Québec, Alexandre specializes in complex litigation and is trusted by clients to handle their most sensitive matters.

Fellow of the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in the United States and recognized as a leading practitioner by most specialized publications in Canada, including Chambers Global®, Who’s Who Legal® and Best Lawyers of Canada®, Alexandre has developed a practice that is focused on all areas of labour and employment law, for both federally-regulated and provincially-regulated undertakings.

Clients look to Alexandre for strategic counsel on their most high-stakes issues, including non-competition and non-solicitation obligations, the hiring and dismissal of employees, managers, directors and executives, allegations of discrimination and psychological or sexual harassment, and human rights.

As an industry thought leader, Alexandre is a prolific author and frequent speaker on changing laws, regulations and jurisprudence. Alexandre has been teaching at McGill University’s Management Faculty and Law Faculty for more than fifteen years.

He provides strategic advice on collective labour relations to numerous companies and acts on their behalf before civil and administrative law courts and tribunals, including, but not limited to, the Administrative Labour Tribunal, the Canada Industrial Relations Board, the Superior Court, the Québec Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

While helping employers navigate the particularities of the labour and employment landscape in Québec, Alexandre has also acquired thorough knowledge and expertise with respect to the interpretation and application of the Charter of the French Language and its potential impact on employers having operations in Quebec.

Some of his recent experience includes:

  • Canadian National with respect to strategic employment matters
  • Lockheed Martin with respect to labour relations and employment matters in Quebec
  • Rio Tinto for strategic employment matters in Canada
  • Lead Counsel to Solotech Inc. with respect to all employment matters in Canada
  • Réseau Sélection for all labour relations and employment matters in Canada
  • Le Groupe Maurice with respect to all employment matters in Quebec
  • Olymel with respect to strategic labour relations and employment matters in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada
  • C.A.T. Inc. with respect to all employment matters in Canada
  • QSL Canada Inc. with respect to all labour relations and employment matters in Canada
  • The Dilawri Group of Companies with respect to labour relations and employment matters
  • Lead Counsel for the Cirque du Soleil with respect to all labour and employment matters
  • Lead Counsel for Electronic Arts Canada, Inc. with respect to all employment matters in Canada
  • Lead Counsel for the National Bank Financial Group with respect to complex employment litigation matters
  • Lead Counsel for Hasbro Canada Corporation with respect to all labour and employment matters in Canada
  • Lead Counsel for JTI-Macdonald Corp. with respect to all labour and employment matters in Canada
  • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation with respect to various employment and labour relations matters before arbitration tribunals and the Canada Industrial Relations Board
  • Lead Counsel for TJX Canada (Winners Apparel) with respect to various employment matters
  • Lead Counsel for the Autorité des marchés financiers du Québec with respect to various labour and employment matters
  • Lead Counsel for Technicolor Canada Inc. with respect to various employment matters
  • Lead Counsel for Rolls-Royce Canada Ltd. with respect to various labour and employment matters
  • Lead Counsel for ADT Security Services with respect to labour and employment matters
  • Air France with respect to all labour and employment matters in Canada
  • The City of Montreal in a matter concerning an application for the issuance of a safeguard order
  • McGill University in a matter concerning an application for a provisional order before the Administrative Labour Tribunal
  • Corporation d'Urgences-santé in employment matters concerning managers, directors and executives
  • Bell Canada and some of its subsidiaries in matters concerning the termination of managers, directors and executives and the enforcement of non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality restrictive covenants
  • Bombardier Inc. in a matter concerning allegations of discrimination directed against senior executives of the corporation
  • Paysafe Group PLC in the context of injunction proceedings related to the enforcement of non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality restrictive covenants, before the Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal
  • Hydro-Québec in several labour relations matters before arbitration tribunals and the Quebec Labour Relations Commission (the Administrative Labour Tribunal)
  • Héroux-Devtek Inc. in the context of an injunction application related to non-competition and non-solicitation clauses
  • TELUS Communications Inc. with respect to several matters before the Canada Industrial Relations Board
  • Wal-Mart Canada in several matters, including a class action suit that was dismissed by the Quebec Court of Appeal
  • Le Château inc. with respect to a litigation matter before the Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal involving an executive officer's stock purchase option right following the termination of his employment
  • The Hockey Company (Reebok inc.) in respect to a long and complex litigation related to the application of restrictive covenants included in an individual contract of employment, before the Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal
  • Air Canada and Aéroports de Montréal with respect to a work conflict involving third parties who disrupted operations at the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
  • Federal Express Canada Ltd. In several employment matters, incuding a claim before the Superior Court concerning the alleged breach of the fundamental rights of a former employee following an investigation conducted by the Company, with the Montréal Police Service
  • Negotiated several collective agreements, including collective agreements with the Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec and the American Federation of Musicians, in Quebec and other jurisdictions as well
  • Acted as lead counsel for Richter in several employment law disputes
  • Acted on behalf of various financial services institutions with respect to several disputes regarding employees' duty of loyalty and the application of restrictive covenants included in individual contracts of employment and commercial agreements

Publications and Presentations

  • A Canadian Perspective on Privacy (August 15th, 2023), American Employment Law Council
  • Privacy in the Workplace - International Presentation Panel (October 17th, 2023), American Employment Law Council

Before joining McCarthy Tétrault, Alexandre practiced at two other national firms, where he sat on the National Management Committee, the Regional Management Committee and served as the Practice Group Leader of the Labour and Employment group for the Province of Quebec.

As an industry thought leader, Alexandre is a prolific author on the changing laws, regulations and jurisprudence, and is regularly invited as a speaker. Alexandre has thought at McGill University for more than fifteen (15) years (at the Management Faculty and the Law Faculty).

Alexandre was admitted to the American Employment Law Council. He holds a degree as Master of Law from the Université de Montréal (LL.M), and has completed a clerkship at the Federal Court of Canada, and worked at the Public Law Research Centre of the Université de Montréal.