Prime Minister announces diplomatic nominations

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the nomination of Mr. Michael Wilson as Ambassador of Canada to the United States of America.  Mr. Wilson will succeed Mr. Frank McKenna in Washington, D.C.

The Prime Minister also announced the nomination of Mr. John McNee as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York.
Mr. McNee will succeed Mr. Allan Rock.

“These two individuals are very distinguished in their respective fields and share a strong commitment to our country,” Prime Minister Harper said. “I am confident that Canada will be served well.”

“Strong Canada-US relations are a priority for my government. Mr. Wilson’s in-depth knowledge and experience in the financial sector and in government will make him a strong advocate for Canada in negotiations with our most important bilateral partner” the Prime Minister said.

“Mr. McNee exemplifies the virtues of diplomacy at its highest level, having served most recently as Canada’s Ambassador to Belgium. His in-depth knowledge of issues important to our multilateral agenda and his work on the government’s Task Force on International Peace and Security make him the ideal candidate to advance Canadian interests at the United Nations,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to Mr. McKenna for his contribution to strengthening our representation in the United States and helping Canada maintain strong bilateral relations. He also thanked Mr. Rock for the exemplary work he accomplished during his diplomatic tenure at the United Nations.

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Biographical Notes

Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson is Chairman of UBS Canada, an operating division of UBS AG, one of the world’s leading financial institutions. Prior to joining UBS in 2001, he was responsible for RBC Financial Group’s institutional asset management business and served as Chairman of RBC Dominion Securities. In 1979,
Mr. Wilson was elected a Progressive Conservative MP for Etobicoke Centre, and was appointed Minister of State for International Trade by Prime Minister Clark. In 1984, he became Finance Minister under former Prime Minister Mulroney. In 1991, after seven years as Minister of Finance, Mr. Wilson became Minister of Industry, Science and Technology and Minister for International Trade. In that role, he participated in negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. During his tenure as a member of the Cabinet, Mr. Wilson also represented Canada at the IMF, IBRD, OECD, GATT and the G-7 Ministers meetings. Mr. Wilson is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has honorary degrees from the University of Toronto and York University. Mr. Wilson is active in a number of professional and community organizations, including NeuroScience Canada Partnership, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance.

John McNee

John McNee (BA [History], York University, 1973; MA [History], Cambridge University, 1975; Canada Scholar at Cambridge, 1973-1975) joined the Department of External Affairs in 1978 and served abroad in Madrid, London and Tel Aviv. From 1993 to 1997, he was Ambassador to Syria with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to Lebanon (1993-1995). At Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, he served in the Policy Development Secretariat and in the Canada-United States Transboundary Division. He also served there as Director, Personnel Division, and as Director General, Middle East, North Africa and Gulf States Bureau. Mr. McNee also served on Prime Minister Trudeau's Task Force on International Peace and Security and at the Privy Council Office. Before coming to Brussels to take up his current posting as Canada’s Ambassador to Belgium, with concurrent accreditation to Luxembourg, he was Assistant Deputy Minister, Africa and Middle East at Foreign Affairs in Ottawa since 2001. Mr. McNee and his wife Susan have two children.