Mark Carney Appoints Janice Charette as Canada's Chief U.S. Trade Negotiator
Prime Minister Mark Carney has turned to a seasoned Ottawa insider to lead Canada's critical trade discussions with Washington. On Monday, Carney announced that Janice Charette will assume the role of Canada's chief trade negotiator to the United States, a position that has been formally separated from the ambassadorial duties.
A Distinguished Public Service Career
Charette brings over four decades of experience in public policy and diplomacy to this pivotal role. She served twice as clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to Cabinet, Canada's most senior bureaucratic position. Her first tenure was under Prime Minister Stephen Harper from October 2014 to January 2016, followed by an interim period in 2021 and a full-time appointment from 2022 to 2023 under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Most recently, Charette worked as an adviser at Wellington Advocacy, a firm with close ties to Harper, and served on Carney's transition team when he became prime minister last year. Her diplomatic background includes a stint as Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom during the tumultuous Brexit negotiations, providing her with invaluable international trade experience.
Restructuring Trade Leadership
In appointing Charette, Carney has decisively split what had been a combined role. Last year, he extended Ambassador Kirsten Hillman's term and also assigned her the chief trade negotiator responsibilities. Hillman's ambassadorial term concluded last week, with Mark Wiseman, a close Carney confidante and former Bay Street campaign fundraiser, stepping in as the new ambassador to Washington.
This creates an intriguing partnership between Charette and Wiseman. While Charette is a career bureaucrat with limited private-sector exposure, she boasts extensive diplomatic credentials. In contrast, Wiseman has a robust business background, including roles as president and CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and global head of equities for BlackRock, but no prior diplomatic experience.
Facing a Formidable U.S. Team
The Canadian duo will negotiate against a Trump administration team renowned for its business acumen and trade expertise. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick built his fortune on Wall Street leading Cantor Fitzgerald, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has a background in investment banking, including work with George Soros.
Leading the U.S. negotiations is Jamieson Greer, who spent the past 15 years specializing in trade deals, serving as chief of staff to the U.S. Trade Representative during Trump's first term and playing a key role in the CUSMA negotiations.
Timely Appointments Amid Trade Review
These appointments come at a crucial juncture, with the formal review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement scheduled for July 1, 2026. While Mexico and the United States have already progressed in talks, discussions between Canada and the U.S. have been stalled since October, heightening the urgency for effective leadership.
Charette's career began in the mid-1980s in the Department of Finance, where she contributed to significant projects like the privatization of Crown corporations such as Petro-Canada and Air Canada under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Her deep-rooted understanding of economic policy and international relations positions her as a strategic choice to advance Canadian interests and foster a strengthened trade relationship that benefits workers and industries on both sides of the border.
