Partner

David is a partner in the firm's Business Law Group, and head of the firm's Infrastructure and Major Projects Group, which also handles our Energy sector.

Education

• LL.B., Université de Montréal, 2005
• DESS, International Trade Law, Université Montpellier 1, 2002
• DJCE certificate - Intellectual Property, 2002
• Master's in International and Transnational Law, Université Laval, 2001
• Master's in Private Law, Université de Franche-Comté, 2000
• Undergraduate Diploma in Law, Université de Strasbourg, 1998

He has extensive experience in private practice, particularly in the fields of bank financing, project financing, insolvency and private equity. He also acted as Vice-President and Corporate Secretary of a joint venture in charge of a major industrial project (IFFCO Canada), initiated by Indian investors and carried out in partnership with a key player in Quebec industry, and supported by an interministerial committee.

More recently, he has represented start-ups, multinationals and investors involved in engineering, green industrial and information technologies.

David has also committed himself to the Infrastructure Council, where he serves as a board member. He is also co-chair of the organizing committee for the Council's Grand Forum and a member of its finance and investment committee. The Infrastructure Council includes among its members the main Canadian and Quebec players in the sector and represents the industry's interests to the relevant authorities on certain issues.

He regularly takes various initiatives to promote the development of civil, industrial, and energy infrastructure in Quebec. In 2014, for example, he made representations before the Quebec Energy Board as part of a consultation launched by that body on gas supplies for the province, advocating for the creation of a reserve of surplus natural gas distribution capacity on the Gaz Métro network (now Énergir) to facilitate the development of industrial projects. This surplus capacity was introduced by the Energy Transition Act adopted in 2016. In 2024 and 2025, he also met with several ministers to discuss different options for private capital involvement in these public interest projects and the potential role of taxation in financing civil infrastructure.

David is also the author of two volumes in the Jurisclasseur series and regularly acts as a speaker on various topics central to his practice.

Representative mandates

Infrastructures and Projects

• DF Canada Ltd. (2018-2019): David represented an engineering firm in negotiating and drafting equipment purchase contracts for the graphene mining project developed by Mason Graphite Inc. at Lac Guéret, Quebec. He interacted with representatives from companies supplying the essential equipment for the project, ensuring it met the client's specifications.
• Systra Canada Inc. (2023-2024): David advised Systra Canada Inc., a company globally recognized for its rail expertise and providing consulting, engineering, and project management services, on reviewing and negotiating the pre-project agreement for the collaborative design phase involving all stakeholders in the Via Rail High Frequency Train (HFT) project. His role involved coordinating the Lavery team's review of this agreement, which was to cover five years of design work.
• Groupe Nouveau Pont Île-aux-Tourtes Inc. (2023-2024): David advised Groupe Nouveau Pont Île-aux-Tourtes Inc., a joint venture of Canadian and international shareholders, on negotiating and drafting all agreements required for debt financing and private bond placement for the design and construction of the new Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge in Montreal, a key part of the strategic road network supporting commercial trade. His responsibilities included negotiating and implementing financing and security agreements in compliance with the requirements of the agreement between the Quebec Ministry of Transport and his client for project development, liaising with both the joint venture participants and the financial institutions and lenders. He also coordinated the Lavery team's work on this project.

Bank Financing

• Representation of Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited in a US$835 million cross-border financing related to the acquisition of the Éléonore gold mine (Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, Northern Québec), negotiated across four jurisdictions and involving banking, mining and secured transactions law.
• Represented Rexel S.A., a French worldwide distributor of electrical equipment, in connection with the Canadian aspects of the €50 million unsecured bond issue in European markets.
• Represented the Royal Bank of Scotland as agent and lender in accordance with a USD 350 million multi-currency credit agreement in connection with a debt restructuring of a global producer and distributor of electronic and visual animal identification systems.
• Represented the Agent (CIBC) and lenders in a CAD 30 million syndicated loan of cash and potential corporate acquisitions of a leading engineering and construction firm in Canada.
• Represented the Agent (National Bank of Canada) and lenders in the context of a CAD 175 million financing for the acquisition of an IT hosting company in the UK.
• Represented Canadian Helicopters Limited, a Canadian helicopter transportation services company, in the NZD 154 million financing of its acquisition of the assets of a New Zealand company.

Public-Private Partnerships

Mining, Energy and Recycling Projects

• Transition Energy Inc. - 2018-2020: David represented Transition Energy Inc., a British Columbia-based company, in negotiating and drafting all necessary agreements for the development of plants that convert wood waste into renewable natural gas. This innovative project aimed to promote sustainable energy solutions and reduce the carbon footprint, contributing to the transition toward cleaner energy sources.
• Represented Polystyvert Inc., a Quebec-based recycler of various polymers, in its negotiation of two joint development agreements with world leaders in the plastics industry.

Restructuring and Insolvency

• Represented Abitibi Bowater Inc. (now Resolute Forest Products), a pulp and paper producer, in the context of its cross-border restructuring under applicable legislation in Canada and the United States.
• Represented TQS, a private Quebec television network, in the context of its restructuring under Canadian federal legislation.
• Represented a French company holding the copyright to the television program Tout le monde en parle, in connection with the bankruptcy of its Canadian agent.

Lectures

• Comment financer les projets énergétiques de toute taille pour répondre à des besoins croissants - Grand Forum Conseil des infrastructures, october 2024
• "Financement + numérique dans 10, 20, 30 ans...," Chaire Wilson, Université de Montréal, February 2021: Link to video
• Le financement de projets de production d'énergie - Forum on the future of energy by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, May 2024
• Intégrer les secteurs industriels au milieu de vie urbain - Forum on major housing projects by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, June 2023

Publications

• Tournier, D., & Menard, J. (2026, January). Beyond Code, Powering AI; Canada's Moment? ReNew
• Tournier, D., & Vézina, S. (2025, February 12). Confrontation entre nations: des droits de douane aux subventions. Le Soleil.
• Tournier, D., Gélinas, É., & Gagné, C.-H. (2024, October 3). Quebec sets ambitious energy transition and industrial decarbonization targets. Lexpert.
• Tournier, D., & Vézina, S. (2024, August 8). Reviendront-ils à Montréal ? La Presse.
• Macnab, A. (2024, March 26). Collaborative project delivery models, legislative reforms, among trends in Quebec construction. Canadian Lawyer Magazine.
• Macnab, A. (2023, October 13). Despite language law's seemingly drastic consequences, Quebec still open for business: Lavery lawyer Canadian Lawyer
• Tournier, D. (2020, September 17). Banques et FinTech: Survol d'une révolution en marche. Institut canadien d'information juridique. Disponible sur CanLII
• Industrial Projects in Canada and the United States: Three Milestones on the Road to Bankability, Part One: Bankable Feedstock Procurement, Association of Corporate Counsel, June 2017
• Industrial Projects: Three Milestones on the Road to Bankability, Part Two: A Bankable EPC, Association of Corporate Counsel, June 2017
• Industrial Projects in the United States: Three Milestones on the Road to Bankability, Part Three: A Bankable Offtake, Association of Corporate Counsel, June 2017
• La transposition de la loi type dans l'ordre juridique canadien, Service de la Formation Continue du Barreau du Québec, Volume 321, 2010
• Reorganization: a commercial concept juridicially defined, Canadian Bar Review, November 2009
• Vente, donation et hypothèque d'actions, JurisClasseur, Lexis Nexis, periodical updated annually since 2009
• Les mutations de l'obligation, JurisClasseur, Lexis Nexis, periodical updated annually since 2008
• Co-author, De l'évaluation des dommages suivant la résiliation des contrats de service et les contraventions à la Loi sur la concurrence, Service de la formation continue du Barreau du Québec, Volume 255, 2006, with the Honourable Justice Suzanne Côté of the Supreme Court of Canada

• Uncovering the intricacies of sports infrastructure financing
• Financing Quebec's Energy Transition: Unlocking the Potential of Flow-Through Shares
• Why Rethink Infrastructure Financing?
• Funding our infrastructure: proven models and innovative approaches