Carney Names Financier Mark Wiseman as Canada’s U.S. Ambassador

Mark Wiseman, a high-profile financier who rose through Canada’s pension-fund world to the top of major U.S. financial institutions, has been named Canada’s new ambassador to the United States at a watershed moment in the relationship between the two countries.
On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada said Mr. Wiseman would start his job in mid-February.
“Mark Wiseman brings immense experience, contacts, and deep commitment at this crucial time of transformation of our relationship with the United States,” Mr. Carney said in a statement. “As a core member of our negotiating team, he will help advance the interests of Canadian workers, businesses, and institutions, while building opportunities for both Canada and the United States.”
Mr. Wiseman will replace Ambassador Kristen Hillman at a fraught time in the relationship between Canada and the United States. The two countries have traditionally been the closest of allies and trading partners, but that bond has been ruptured since President Trump’s re-election. Mr. Trump has taken an aggressive stance toward Canada, including repeatedly stating that he wants the country to become America’s 51st state.
Even though he has in recent months avoided repeating that line, the president has imposed hefty tariffs on a handful of important sectors for the Canadian economy such as autos, steel and aluminum.
The new ambassador will quickly face the review of the United States-Canada-Mexico free-trade agreement, the successor to NAFTA, as Canada tries to restore its preferential status as the United States’ top trading partner. Ms. Hillman, the outgoing ambassador, was a key member of Canada’s negotiating team with Washington.
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