Carney revives advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations

Prime Minister Mark Carney has formed a new version of the Canada-U.S. advisory committee to counsel the government on the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) this summer.

The committee is a revival of former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s Council on Canada-U.S. Relations, which was established in January 2025.

Carney has renamed the committee, calling it the Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations and appointed a nearly entirely new group of advisors.

The prime minister has added several well-known politicians to the council while bringing back many former members. The prime minister said he is pleased with the composition of the new advisory group.

“It’s a diverse group,” Carney said. “Leaders from the union movement, experts in industry and CEOs in finance and across the economy.”

Carney has added former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, former Conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt, former Nunavut premier P.J. Akeeagok, former Quebec premier Jean Charest and former Liberal cabinet minister Ralph Goodale.

They join executives from top Canadian companies, as well as leaders from the automotive and aluminum industries, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Canadian unions.

The committee consists of 24 members in total plus the chair, Minister for Canada-U.S. Trade Dominic LeBlanc. LeBlanc said the group is “very much focused on businesses that obviously have important relations with American customers, American business partners.”

In a statement, Erin O’Toole said he is honoured to be included and highlighted the cross-partisan nature of the work.

“I will approach this work constructively because it is bigger than politics,” O’Toole said. “I have great respect for Americans … I know we can work together to build a new version of an alliance that has been the envy of the world.”

The revised committee includes more top level business executives than Trudeau’s version, including leaders in major Canadian businesses exposed to tariffs.

Those removed from the committee include former Alberta premier Rachel Notley and “Dragon’s Den” co-stars Arlene Dickenson and Wes Hall.

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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre welcomed the new council but argued that Carney has little to show on trade with the U.S., adding that he expects the prime minister to deliver a tariff-free deal.

“We’ve got a lot of leverage,” Poilievre said. “We’ve got 10 of the 12 NATO defined critical minerals.”

The formation of the committee comes two days after Carney released a video address in which he described the traditionally close relationship with the United States as a weakness.

“Many of our former strengths based on our close ties with America have become our weaknesses, weaknesses that we must correct,” Carney said in the video. “The U.S. has changed and we must respond.”

The new committee was a topic of debate in question period today. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet welcomed the committee but asked if temporary measures would be introduced to support companies feeling the pain of American tariffs before the CUSMA review.

“Will they have temporary measures for companies that are affected in the meantime? Before these negotiations are over?” Blanchet asked.

Carney responded that the government is considering temporary measures for affected companies, individuals and workers. 

The prime minister hinted those measures may be part of the spring economic update, which is scheduled for delivery next week.

Meanwhile, Reuters is citing multiple unnamed sources saying U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told the Mexican auto and steel industries today that the CUSMA review will not lead to the removal of U.S. sectoral tariffs.

The full list of names of people on the revised committee have been posted to the Prime Minister’s Office website.

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