Janice Charette will be Canada’s next trade negotiator with the U.S. (Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images)
February 17, 2026 9:48 AM, EST
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed a veteran public servant as his government’s next chief trade negotiator with the U.S., putting her at the center of a review of the North American trade pact at a time of testy relations between the two countries.
The envoy, Janice Charette, brings almost four decades of experience across Canadian diplomacy, public policy and government leadership to the role, Carney’s office said in a statement on Feb. 16.
She has twice served as clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet, the highest nonpartisan position in the federal public service, acting as principal adviser to the prime minister and the head of Canada’s public service.
Charette will work with Mark Wiseman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., and be a senior adviser to Carney and the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, Dominic LeBlanc, on the joint review of the trade agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
The accord, which came into force on July 1, 2020, for a 16-year term, mandates a review starting after its sixth anniversary this summer.
Prime Minister Carney announces the appointment of the Honourable Janice Charette as the next Chief Trade Negotiator to the U.S. in which role she will advance Canadian interests and a strengthened trade and investment relationship. Details: https://t.co/oj5qCV9LfC
— Prime Minister of Canada (@CanadianPM) February 16, 2026
That process was once considered routine, but President Donald Trump, who signed the agreement, has spoken privately about pulling out of it, according to people familiar with the matter.
Concessions Demanded
He has demanded additional trade concessions from Ottawa and Mexico City and pressured them to address unrelated issues, including migration, drug trafficking and defense.
An official in U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s office said that a rubber stamp of the original terms was not in the national interest and the administration intended to keep Trump’s options open.
Carney said Charette’s experience positions her to “advance Canadian interests and a strengthened trade and investment relationship that benefits workers and industries in both Canada and the United States,” according to the statement.
Charette was clerk from 2014 to 2016 and subsequently served as Canada’s high commissioner to the U.K. She returned as interim clerk in 2021-22 and served again as clerk through 2023. She also has held leadership roles in the private sector, including with Ernst & Young and with the transition team for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
