The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition David Shapiro, top in-house lawyer at Air Canada, last month closed a financing deal that was 17 years in the making. The Post's Drew Hasselback writes Air Canada raised $714.5-million through an offering of "enhanced equipment trust certificates," a special type of debt financing vehicle that has only been made possible through an international agreement called the Cape Town Convention. There is immediate importance to the financing. It will help the airline purchase five new 777-300ER aircraft from Boeing in time for delivery between June, 2013, to February, 2014. There is also a longer game at play. The deal represents the culmination of a project that Mr. Shapiro has pursued since the early 1990s when he was in private practice. Mr. Shapiro has been a vocal supporter of the Cape Town Convention and its potential benefits for the airline industry. Canada is a signatory to the Cape Town agreement, which has separate protocols for global rail, space and aircraft assets. The enabling legislation allows for the Canadian use of EETCs for aircraft took effect on April 1 this year, just in time for Air Canada to use the new product to buy five new Boeings.