Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has established a council composed of former premiers and business leaders to support him in dealing with the incoming U.S. administration.
The Council on U.S. Relations was announced by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Jan. 16, a few days before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20.
Trump has threatened to impose 25 tariffs on Canada over concerns about lax border security. Ottawa and the provinces have since taken different approaches to dissuade the incoming administration from following through on the tariffs.
The establishment of a special council is the latest move by Ottawa to attempt to better navigate the situation.
“Comprised of leaders in business, innovation, and policy, the members of the Council will use their sectoral expertise to support the Prime Minister and Cabinet at this important time in the Canada-U.S. relationship,” says a PMO statement.
The council is composed of 18 individuals, including former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, former Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, and former Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil, who ran the province under the Liberal banner from 2013 to 2021.
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Charest served as Quebec’s Liberal premier from 2003 to 2012 and his latest political incursion was a run for the federal Conservative Party leadership in 2022.
Notley was Alberta’s premier from 2015 to 2019 under the NDP banner. Notley resigned from her seat as MLA in Alberta last month. Her former chief of staff, Brian Topp, is also joining Trudeau’s council.
Non-elected federal officials who dealt with the previous Trump administration are also on the new council, such as David MacNaughton, a former co-chair of the Liberal election campaign in Ontario, who served as Canadian ambassador to the United States from 2016 to 2019.
Steve Verheul, Canada’s chief trade negotiator during talks on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in Trump’s first presidency, is also joining the council. Verheul was at the time the assistant deputy minister of the Trade Policy and Negotiations Branch at Global Affairs Canada.
Trudeau is also bringing on board his former national security and intelligence adviser Jody Thomas, who retired from the public service in January 2024.
There are two current federal officials joining the council. This includes Senator Hassan Yussuff, the only appointed parliamentarian, and Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s Ambassador to the United States.
Representing the automotive industry, Flavio Volpe, head of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association is also on the council. Volpe is a longtime Liberal supporter and the son of late cabinet minister Joe Volpe.
Other business group representatives include Tabatha Bull, president and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, and Martin Caron, president of Quebec’s farmers’ union.
Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, a private sector union with 320,000 members across industry sectors, also sits on the council.
There are three CEOs of individual businesses on the council, including Tim Gitzel of uranium company Cameco, Linda Hasenfratz of manufacturing company Linamar, and Shahrzad Rafati of marketing company RHEI.
TV personalities and entrepreneurs from the reality show “Dragons’ Den” are well represented on Trudeau’s council, with Arlene Dickinson and Wes Hall both included.
Investor Kevin O‘Leary, who also starred on “Dragons’ Den,” is not on Trudeau’s council but has been outspoken on the U.S. tariffs issue. O’Leary recently advocated for a U.S-Canada economic union as Trump mentioned using “economic force” to merge with Canada.
