By Majid Pourostad ( May 22, 2025, 2:46 PM EDT) -- In common law systems, statutory interpretation is never a purely textual exercise. Canada implements the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (Model Law) through the International Commercial Arbitration Act, 2017 (ICAA). Alongside this codified framework, residual common law principles such as unconscionability, natural justice and the duty of honest performance continue to exert normative force. This duality often produces interpretive tension: courts must decide whether arbitration statutes “occupy the field” or leave space for residual common law intervention, especially given that Article 34 of the Model Law provides the exclusive statutory recourse for setting aside international arbitral awards....