This two-day mission was planned in collaboration with the Canadian Chamber’s on-the-ground partners in D.C., including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Embassy of Canada in Washington and the Wilson Centre. It brought together key American and Canadian stakeholders – including current and former government officials, sector business leaders, premier academics and other political influencers. Delegates and special guests took a close look at the threats facing both the manufacturing and transportation sectors, as well as what can be done to safeguard our supply chains and strengthen Canada-U.S. relations.
Agenda
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All times are in Eastern Time (ET).
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
| 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Evening Reception Co-Hosted with the Wilson Center |
| 7:00 p.m. | Dinner in Small Groups (arranged by delegates) |
Thursday, March 6, 2025
| 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | Breakfast and Welcome with the Embassy of Canada to the United States Remarks and Moderator: Jay Allen, Minister (Economic Affairs) Speakers: Kaitlyn Pritchard, Trade Program Manager, Innovation & Industrial Policy Sonja Frohberg, Counsellor, Agriculture and Fisheries Lucy Xu, First Secretary, Trade Policy & Political Economy |
| 10:30 a.m. to 10:35 a.m. | Opening Remarks by Todd Winterhalt, Senior Vice-President, International Markets and Head of Communications & Public Affairs, Export Development Canada |
| 10:35 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. | “Seismic Shifts: the 2025 U.S. Policy Agenda” Moderated by: Catherine Fortin Lefaivre Vice President, International Policy & Global Partnerships Speakers Christopher Sands, Director, Canada Institute, The Wilson Center Laura Dawson, Executive Director, Future Borders Coalition Mark Kennedy, Director, Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition |
| 11:55 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:30 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. | Opening Remarks by David Paterson, Ontario Representative in DC |
| 1:35 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. | What’s Next for North American Manufacturing? Moderated by: Xavier Delgado, Senior Associate, Canada Institute, The Wilson Center Speakers Alice Stayton Clark, Senior Vice President for Trade, Investment and Digital Policy, United States Council for International Business (USCIB) Paul Dostaler, Partner, Industry Lead for Manufacturing, BDO Diego Marroquin Bitar, Inaugural Bersin-Foster Nort America Scholar |
| 2:25 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. | The Future of Supply Chains Moderated by: Pascal Chan, Vice President, Strategic Policy & Supply Chains Speakers Emily Benson, Head of Strategy, Minerva Technology Policy Advisors Roelof-Jan (RJ) Steenstra, President and CEO, PortsToronto |
| 3:25 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. | Break |
| 3:35 p.m. to 4:35 p.m. | Facilitated Working Discussion Building on the insights gleaned from the mission’s first day of programming, this moderated session will serve as an opportunity for participants to discuss key takeaways. Participants’ ideas and comments will be used to create a report by the Wilson Center on future policy priorities to strengthen Canada-US and North American supply chains. Led by Christopher Sands, Director, Canada Institute, The Wilson Center |
| 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. | Mission Delegate Dinner |
Friday, March 7, 2025
| 8:30 a.m. | Breakfast and Exploring Canada- U.S. Relations with the United States Chamber of Commerce |
| 9:00 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. | Briefing and Q&A with Neil Herrington, Senior Vice President, Americas, US Chamber of Commerce |
| 9:35 a.m. to 10:35 a.m. | US Perspectives on Supply Chain Security Speakers John Drake, Vice President, Transportation, Infrastructure, and Supply Chain Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Trey McKenzie, Vice President of Government Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce |
| 10:35 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. | Closing Remarks |
| 11:00 a.m. | Event Concludes |
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