Carney Appoints Former Investment Banker Mark Wiseman as Ambassador to US

The flags of Canada and the United States fly outside a hotel in downtown Ottawa on Feb. 1, 2025. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that longtime friend and former BlackRock manager Mark Wiseman will be Canada’s next ambassador to the United States.

Carney said Wiseman will begin his new role on Feb. 15 and lead trade talks with the United States in a potential renewal of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which comes up for a joint review July 1.

“Mark Wiseman brings immense experience, extensive contacts, and deep commitment at this crucial time of transformation of our relationship with the United States,” Carney said in a Dec. 22 release from the Prime Minister’s Office. “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.”

Wiseman will replace outgoing Canadian ambassador Kirsten Hillman, who announced earlier this month that she will step down in the new year.

Wiseman, 55, belongs to the Prime Minister’s Council on Canada-U.S. relations, a group started by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just prior to Trump’s inauguration for a second term in January 2025. Though not included on the council by Trudeau, Carney added Wiseman shortly after being elected prime minister in March.

Wiseman was born in Niagara Falls, Ont., and raised primarily in Burlington, Ont., obtaining a law degree and MBA from the University of Toronto and a Master of Laws at Yale University.

He worked in corporate law for a multinational law firm before going on to manage equity funds for the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to head up the Canada Pension Plan’s investment fund.

In 2016, Wiseman became senior managing director and global head of active equities at asset management firm BlackRock before being fired in 2019 for failing to disclose a consensual relationship with a colleague. Wiseman’s wife, Marcia Moffat, heads up BlackRock’s Canadian division.

Since departing BlackRock, Wiseman went on to be chair of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation and championed the transition to net-zero carbon economic model. In his most recent positions, he’s been senior advisor and chairman for Lazard Canada, an asset management firm, along with serving on the board of directors for NOVA Chemicals, chair of the board for Alter Domus and a senior advisor for the Boston Consulting Group.

Wiseman is also the co-founder of the Century Initiative, which aims to increase Canada’s population to 100 million by 2100 through immigration. The Tories and Bloc Québécois have both criticized the initiative. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called it a “radical” idea, while the Bloc says Wiseman would be damaging for Quebec, citing a social media post from Wiseman two years ago saying Canada must aim for a 100-million strong population “even if it makes Quebec howl.” The post has since been deleted.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet has also criticized the appointment of Wiseman as ambassador, citing his opposition to supply management, which sets up a quota system for dairy, poultry, and egg production in Canada, and which Washington has identified as a trade irritant.

Identified as a roadblock to potential U.S. renewal of the USMCA by the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer last week, Carney said Dec. 18 that changes to the supply management policy are “never on the table.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand backed Wiseman’s appointment, saying he brings the necessary “experience” to the table to lead Canada-U.S. relations at this time.

“Mark Wiseman brings the expertise and perspective needed at this crucial time in the Canada-US relationship,” Anand posted on X Dec. 22. “I look forward to working closely with him as he takes on the role of Canada’s next ambassador to the United States.”

The role of Canada’s ambassador to the United States has been filled by former premiers, federal cabinet ministers, campaign managers, and lifelong diplomats who helped negotiate substantial trade deals, making Wiseman a standout in not having previous political experience.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.