By Kyle Duggan
The Canadian Press
Posted February 16, 2026 10:50 am
Updated February 16, 2026 11:05 am
1 min read
Descrease article font size
Increase article font size
Prime Minister Mark Carney has chosen Janice Charette, the former head of the public service, to serve as the country’s chief trade negotiator to the United States.
Charette is a career bureaucrat who twice served as clerk of the Privy Council and once as high commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Her appointment comes just ahead of a major review of the North American free-trade pact, known as the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
It also comes a day after Mark Wiseman, a global investment banker and pension fund manager, took the reins as Canada’s next ambassador to Washington.
Trending Now
China drops visa requirement for Canadian tourists, business visitors
Canada’s Jacobs wins after ump setup changed again
Canada’s last ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, recently stepped down so a fresh team could be assembled to take on the review of the trade pact.
U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed Canada with tariffs in key sectors over the past year and is expected to adopt a hardball approach during the coming CUSMA review.
More on Canada
More videos
© 2026 The Canadian Press