The Sylvia Ostry Lecture: Absent Trump – Here’s the New TPP
Roundtable Luncheon with The Honourable John Baird and The Honourable Peter MacKay
The Honourable John Baird, Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones LLP
John Baird is a Senior Advisor to various enterprises and a former Senior Cabinet Minister in the Government of Canada.
An instrumental figure in bilateral trade and investment relationships, Mr. Baird has played a leading role in the Canada-China dialogue and worked to build ties with ASEAN countries. In addition, Mr. Baird has worked closely with international leaders to strengthen security and economic ties with the United States and Middle Eastern countries.
A native of Ottawa, Baird spent three terms as a Member of Parliament and four years as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as President of the Treasury Board, Minister of the Environment, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. Prior to entering federal politics, Mr. Baird spent ten years in the Ontario Legislature where he served as Minister of Community and Social Services, Minister of Energy, and Government House Leader.
Currently, Mr. Baird serves as a Senior Business Advisor with Bennett Jones LLP, a premier Canadian law firm. In addition, Mr. Baird sits on the advisory board of Barrick Gold Corp., the corporate boards of Canadian Pacific, Canadian Forest Products (Canfor), the FWD Group and PineBridge Investments. He also serves as a Global Strategic Advisor to Hatch Ltd, a Canadian global multidisciplinary management, engineering and development consultancy, and is a Senior Advisor at Eurasia Group, a global political risk consultancy.
Mr. Baird also volunteers his time with Community Living Ontario, an organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities, the Prince's Charities, the charitable office of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and is a board member of the Friends of Israel Initiative. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from Queen’s University at Kingston.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Peter MacKay is a Partner in the Baker & McKenzie Toronto office. Prior to joining the Firm in 2016, Peter MacKay, PC, QC (Privy Council and Queen's Counsel), served in the Parliament of Canada for over 18 years and in a ministerial post in the Canadian government for almost ten years after the Conservative Party formed a government in 2006. Most recently, he served as Canada's Attorney General and Minister of Justice until November 2015, a position to which he was appointed in 2013. Prior to this post, Mr. MacKay served as the Minister of National Defence for six years and held joint cabinet positions as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency for 18 months.
During his first five years in the House of Commons, Mr. MacKay served as House Leader for the Progressive Conservative caucus. In this capacity he represented the caucus on issues pertaining to management and operations of Parliament. He also served as the Progressive Conservative critic for law enforcement issues, and as a member of the Board of Internal Economy, the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, the Standing Committee on Finance, and the Sub-Committee on the Study of Sport in Canada. In May 2003, Mr. MacKay became the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada's 23rd leader. He played a pivotal role in the reunification of the Conservative movement in Canada and the formation of the Conservative Party of Canada, serving as its 1st deputy leader.
From 1992 to 1997, Mr. MacKay served as a Crown prosecutor in Nova Scotia, and spent time in private practice and in Germany as lawyer at Thyssen Henchel. He is the founder of the highly regarded Halifax International Security Forum, which he hosted beginning in 2009. He has served on numerous volunteer board and has recently joined the National Board of Special Olympics Canada, Boost Child Youth Advocacy Centre and Wounded Warriors Canada.
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