A Guelph business leader is part of a group tasked with helping the Canadian government navigate the renegotiation of NAFTA.
Linamar CEO Linda Hasenfratz is part of the 13-member NAFTA Council, which was announced Wednesday.
Other members of the group with business ties include Sophie Brochu, president and CEO of Quebec energy firm Gaz Métro, BMO Financial Group CEO William Downe, agricultural union leader Marcel Groleau, former Home Depot president Annette Verschuren and Canadian Labour Council president Hassan Yussuff.
The council also cuts across partisan lines, with former Conservative MPs Rona Ambrose and James Moore and former NDP leadership candidate Brian Topp among its members.
Rounding out the group are Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde, Canadian ambassador to the United Nations Marc-André Blanchard, Canadian consul general in San Francisco Rana Sarkar and Canadian consul general in New York City Phyllis Yaffe.
Talks on changing the NAFTA agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico are scheduled to begin Aug. 16.
According to Global Affairs Canada, the advisory council will bring “expertise and strategic advice” to the Canadian side of the discussion.
