Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations is attracting praise from some in Alberta for its resource sector representation, while others question how effective it will be.
The list, released Tuesday, includes leaders from across Canada, as well as retired high-profile politicians such as former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole and former Conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt.
Their inclusion on the committee by the Liberal government is a promising sign, according to Sonya Savage, Alberta’s former energy minister.
“They’ve been relentlessly supportive of the energy sector and market access, so to have … those voices on the council is really encouraging,” she told CBC News.
“I think that bodes well to the prime minister’s openness to bring everyone into the council.”
Sonya Savage, pictured during her time as Alberta’s energy minister in 2020. She served in the role from April 2019 to October 2022. (Government of Alberta)
Savage praised the committee’s inclusion of representatives from a wide range of sectors, including François Poirier, president and CEO of Calgary-based TC Energy.
Poirier wasn’t available for an interview, but wrote he is “honoured to serve” on the committee in a statement posted to the TC Energy website.
“We must enable long-term investment and cross-border trade to continue building economic opportunities for families and businesses,” Poirier said.
“TC Energy has been a strong advocate for maintaining the tariff-free flow of energy and attracting capital to strengthen North America’s role as an energy leader to protect energy security, affordability and reliability.
“More energy flows across the Canada-U.S. border than any other border in the world. We are stronger together as an energy connected continent.”
Sam Blackett, press secretary for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, echoed Savage’s sentiment.
“We’re encouraged to see representation from key sectors such as energy and agriculture, and we look forward to their work in restoring fair and free trade with the United States,” he wrote in a statement.
Agriculture sector representation on the committee includes Ken Seitz, president and CEO of the Saskatchewan-based fertilizer company Nutrien, Émile Cordeau, CEO of dairy co-operative Agropur, and Michael Harvey, the executive director of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance.
Savage said she’s optimistic about the message the council will send Carney.
“He’s got energy supporters on that committee, so hopefully he’ll be hearing from that committee to keep at it with the United States, to keep working,” she said.
But as the one-year anniversary of the federal election approaches, Savage said she hasn’t seen much progress in Canada-U.S. trade relations.
“The election was fought primarily on managing the United States getting a trade deal, and I don’t think that’s going well,” Savage said.
In a statement, the prime minister said that his government’s goal in the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is to secure “a strong economic partnership with the United States that creates greater certainty, security, and prosperity for all.”
‘Communications exercise’
Carlo Dade, director of international policy at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, said he considers the council as “primarily a communications exercise” rather than an actual advisory body that can effectively influence negotiations.
He said the committee’s membership offers “weak Western representation,” with only a few of the committee members based in the Prairie provinces, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those interests are being neglected.
“I don’t know that it reflects the priorities going in at all,” Dade said. “This could just be a domestic political exercise. And my first read of this is that it is a domestic political exercise.
“It’s designed to give cover, to have a group so that you can communicate publicly to groups that are worried about the issue.”
Dade expressed concern with the lack of younger Canadians on the list, saying the traditional business and negotiating experience the committee members bring to the table may not translate as well to the unprecedented nature of the current U.S. trade dispute.
“Do any of these names jump out immediately for having called for re-examination of the relationship, or have been advocating for a new way to engage in the U.S.?” Dade asked.
“Or were these folks that were taken by surprise by Donald Trump?”
The committee, which will meet for the first time on Monday, will be led by Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade.