Canada's new top diplomat in Washington presented his credentials to U.S. President Donald Trump Tuesday, officially taking on the role of ambassador to the United States at a turbulent moment in Canada-U.S. relations.
Mark Wiseman, a global investment banker and pension fund manager, will be looking to help Canada find tariff off-ramps and stability ahead of a review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA, later this year.
"It is a profound privilege to serve in this role," Wiseman, a longtime friend of Prime Minister Mark Carney, said in a news release. "The partnership between Canada and the United States is foundational to our shared prosperity, security and global leadership."
The businessman's tenure marks a shift for Ottawa's strategy in Washington, which is at a critical juncture caused by Trump's tariffs and repeated threats of annexation. It's also a response to the changed priorities of the United States under the Trump administration.
"He's not a public servant," said Fen Osler Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations. "He's a businessman. He is a deal maker."
Wiseman replaced Kirsten Hillman, a longtime civil servant and trade policy expert who served at the embassy in Washington for eight years, including six as ambassador.
Hillman was also Canada's chief negotiator but that position will now go to Janice Charette, a former Privy Council Clerk and high commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Wiseman was chosen as ambassador because his background in business and finance connects with Trump's key advisers, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Hampson said.
It will be important for Wiseman to develop those relationships, as well as others with influential Republicans on Capitol Hill, Hampson added.
The new ambassador's CV is "high currency in Washington now," said former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole, who is also a distinguished fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute.
"Mark brings a really neat lens of understanding the Canadian economy super well by running our pension fund for many years, but also having worked at a high level in the United States," said O'Toole. "I think (it) is very, very helpful at this critical time."
Wiseman reached out to O'Toole before he stepped into the posting, the former MP and Conservative leader said. It demonstrates Wiseman is looking to research areas where he may he need to build knowledge, including the global security complex, O'Toole said.
There are many uncertainties immediately in Wiseman's purview — from upcoming midterm elections to a Supreme Court ruling that could derail Trump's tariff plans — but a critical challenge is the CUSMA review.
CUSMA negotiations were a key test for Ottawa during the first Trump administration. While there were tense times, the trade pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement was ultimately hailed a success by all three countries.
As this year's mandatory review looms, Canadian officials are dealing with a significantly different Trump team and a president emboldened by his massive global tariff agenda and little pushback from Republicans in Congress.
The Prime Minister's Office said Monday Charette will work closely with Wiseman and serve as a senior adviser to both the prime minister and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of Canada-U.S. trade, on the CUSMA review.
"Carney is building the orchestra and getting the right stagehands in place, but he is going to be the principal person on the stage," Hampson said.
O'Toole said he suspects Charette will "quarterback for the government," ensuring an economic and policy response, while Wiseman will play point on negotiations.
"I think it’s a really good one-two punch with the two of them," he said.
Becoming Canada's ambassador to the United States at this moment is like being the captain of the team on the ice during the second period, said Christopher Sands, director of Johns Hopkins University's Center for Canadian Studies, with the prime minister as the coach calling the plays.
That also means that Wiseman is in a good position to offer a fresh take on what's going right and what's going wrong, Sands said.
"Wiseman comes on to provide eyes, ears, a different analytical take, and maybe help Carney to think of a strategy that will put Canada in the best possible position going into the (CUSMA) review and so much else," Sands said.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — PMO
