John F. Rook, Counsel | Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP

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John F. Rook

John F. Rook, KC, is a highly esteemed senior litigation counsel with over 50 years of experience in administrative, commercial, and competition law. Recognized by Chambers Global as one of Canada's most sought-after competition litigators and by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Class Action Litigation, Competition/Antitrust Law, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, with a specific focus on Litigation, he has appeared before provincial and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and tribunals such as the Competition Tribunal, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, and the National Energy Board.

John has acted as counsel in landmark cases, including mergers, abuse of dominance, cartels, and class actions under the Competition Act. Notably, he represented Videotron in its acquisition of Freedom Mobile and advised the Commissioner of Competition on the Labatt-Lakeport Brewing merger. Beyond competition law, he has extensive expertise in securities, telecommunications, energy, product liability, negligence, and fiduciary claims.

John is cited by clients and peers in leading legal directories for his skill and creativity:

"He is truly amazing – his years of experience are invaluable."

"One of the best in the business."

"A professional, innovative approach to problems."

Practice Areas

Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Competition Law
Class Action Litigation
Shareholder & Partnership Disputes
Regulatory and Administrative Law

Other Practice Areas

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Advertising & Marketing Practices
Alternate Dispute Resolution
Anti-trust
Appellate Counsel
Arbitration (domestic and international, ad hoc and institutional)
Banking Litigation
Civil Anti-Competitive Conduct
Civil Litigation
Commercial Law
Competition Bureau Investigations
Competition Criminal Matters
Competition Law (Antitrust)
Competition Litigation
Competition Marketing Practices
Competition Tribunal Litigation
Complex Litigation
Constitutional Law
Contract Disputes
Corporate Governance
Corporate Law
Criminal & Civil Anti-Competitive Conduct
Criminal Matters
Employment Law
Franchise Litigation
Fraud, Misrepresentations, Deceit
General Litigation
Injunctions
Inquests
Libel & Slander
Libel & Slander Litigation
Mass Torts
Mergers
Partnership Litigation
Products Liability
Professional Discipline Law
Professional Regulation
Senior Trial
Shareholder Disputes
Tribunal Hearings
White Collar Defence
Wrongful Dismissal

Industries

Transportation
Airlines
Banking
Construction
Franchising
Insurance
Manufacturing
Public Office Holders
Real Estate
Retail
Securities

Experience

John has advised on many of the most noteworthy matters that have shaped common law jurisprudence and competition regulation in Canada, including:

Commissioner of Competition v. Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc., and Videotron Ltd., where the Commissioner unsuccessfully challenged Rogers acquisition of the Shaw’s wireline business and the sale of Shaw’s wireless business to Videotron;
Commissioner of Competition v. Toronto Real Estate Board, where the Competition Tribunal ordered the board to make sales and related information available to its members for use and display on their websites for the benefit of consumers;
Bow Valley Husky (Bermuda) Ltd., v. Saint John Ship Building, where the Supreme Court clarified the rules for the recovery of pure economic loss in negligence claims;
National Bank Financial Ltd. v. Potter, involving several decisions of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal relating to claims for damages arising out of the collapse of Knowledge House Inc.;
The Commissioner of Competition v. Parkland Industries Ltd. – a merger where the Competition Tribunal discussed the legal principles that apply to interim orders under section 104 and conducted the first mediation under the Competition Act;
Pioneer Corp. v. Godfrey, in the Supreme Court of Canada relating to the certification of class actions for claims for damages for direct and indirect purchasers in the sale of consumer electronic products;
Granovsky v. Canada– a decision of the Supreme Court concerning equality rights of disabled persons denied benefits under the Canada Pension Plan;
R. v. Simon – where the Supreme Court recognized the pre-confederation Aboriginal treaties under section 25 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
Public Utilities Board v. Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation– a decision of the Manitoba Court of Appeal limiting the powers of the Board in connection with the regulation of Manitoba's automobile insurance corporation.
Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v. Superior Propane– where the Competition Tribunal and the Federal Court of Appeal elaborated the efficiencies defence under section 96 of the Competition Act;
Bell Canada/Unitel/Callnet (Telecom Decision CRTC 92-12) – where the Canadian Television and Telecommunications Commission permitted the interconnection of telecommunications networks to facilitate competition in long distance services;
Stelco Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General)– where the Supreme Court of Canada discussed the protection available to suspects for compelled testimony in an Inquiry under the Competition Act;
R. v. Hamilton Funeral Homes– the only successful merger prosecution under section 33 of the Combines Investigation Act.

John has also been designated as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Education

LL.B., University of Toronto Faculty of Law, 1971
B.A. (Honours), Queen's University, 1968

Community

John is a director on the Board of St. Andrews' College and past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the St. Andrews' College Foundation. He is also president of the University Club of Toronto and, for many years, he was a member of the Board of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival Board of Directors as well as the Board of the Stratford Shakespeare Foundation.