Carney breaks with tradition in selecting Charette as chief negotiator for U.S. trade

Previous chief negotiators have had extensive experience in trade policy before taking on Canada's most important negotiations, but observers say it's more important that Janice Charette has the PM's trust.

Janice Charette will serve as special adviser to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc in her role as chief trade negotiator to the U.S.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

News

BY NEIL MOSS

February 24, 2026

With the appointment of former top bureaucrat Janice Charette, Prime Minister Mark Carney has bucked tradition by picking a chief negotiator for Canada-United States trade who doesn't have an abundance of trade experience.

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