Carney names members of new advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations

“It’s a diverse group: leaders in the union movement, experts in industry, CEOs in finance and across the economy,” Carney said in a brief statement as he arrived on Parliament Hill Tuesday.

Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, will chair the new committee.

“It’s very much focused on businesses that have important relations with American customers, American business partners. I’m looking forward to the first meeting next week,” LeBlanc said on his way into the cabinet meeting Tuesday.

“I have spoken to a number of these people of the last number of days. This will be a forum for the government of Canada to hear directly from business leaders, elected union leaders and community leaders.”

Carney said the council will advise him, LeBlanc and the rest of the negotiating team as Canada prepares for the review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade this June.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters Tuesday that Canada should head into talks with the U.S. by pushing the creation of a strategic mineral and oil reserve with the condition the U.S. maintains tariff-free market access.

“That is the leverage we have, and frankly, something that Prime Minister Carney should have been doing a year ago is making that point,” Poilievre said.

“But in fact, he has squandered our leverage. All the leverage he had going in, he squandered by backing down on everything while getting nothing in return.”

Poilievre criticized Carney for not yet approving a new oil pipeline, for failing to remove government policies he said stifle energy investment, and for slow mining project approvals.

Carney’s revamped committee has more top-level business executives than the previous version.

The new group includes presidents and CEOs of major Canadian energy, resource, forestry and transportation companies. They include the heads of CN Rail, the Bank of Montreal, Nutrien, TC Energy, Canfor and Teck Resources, among others.

The list covers major Canadian industries exposed to U.S. tariffs.

Candace Laing, CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and Tabitha Bull, CEO of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, have been appointed to the committee as representatives of broader business groups.

Cameron Bailey, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, has been added as a representative of Canada’s cultural sector.

Some names from Trudeau’s committee that have been dropped include former Alberta premier Rachel Notley and “Dragon’s Den” fixtures Arlene Dickinson and Wes Hall.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Carney names members of new advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations

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