Speculation that Prime Minister Mark Carney may appoint business executive Mark Wiseman as Canada’s next ambassador to the United States is already provoking significant backlash on Parliament Hill. Although the government has not confirmed its choice to replace outgoing envoy Kirsten Hillman, the possibility of Wiseman’s nomination has triggered early criticism from Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs who point to his past comments on immigration and supply management as major concerns.
Wiseman previously held prominent roles at the Alberta Investment Management Corporation, BlackRock, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. He also sits on Carney’s advisory council on Canada United States relations. However, his association with the Century Initiative, an organization that promotes raising Canada’s population to 100 million by the year 2100, has placed him at the centre of political controversy. Critics have resurfaced a 2023 social media post in which he shared a Globe and Mail argument calling for higher immigration levels even if it made Quebec howl, a choice of words that has reignited long standing sensitivities.
Beyond the debate over population growth, opposition MPs have also raised concerns about Wiseman’s past commentary on Canada’s supply management system. In a 2024 Globe and Mail opinion piece, he urged the federal government to address declining productivity and listed supply management as one of the structural barriers that restrict competition. With a scheduled review of the Canada United States Mexico Agreement on the horizon, critics warn that appointing someone skeptical of supply management could signal instability to both Quebec producers and the incoming Trump administration. NDP Deputy Leader Alexandre Boulerice argued that sending an ambassador who does not support the existing system would create a damaging impression before negotiations even begin.
Liberal ministers attempted to contain the political fallout by stressing that the federal government has never endorsed the Century Initiative’s population target and has no intention of doing so. They also pointed to recent legislation that prevents future governments from conceding supply management protections in trade deals, a bill that received swift approval earlier this year. Quebec Liberal MP Sophie Chatel reaffirmed that Ottawa will not revisit supply management in upcoming negotiations and framed the system as essential to the economic health of rural communities.
While many Liberal MPs declined to comment on Wiseman’s potential appointment, the reaction from Conservative and Bloc benches remained unified. As one Conservative MP put it, the very idea of naming Wiseman to the most important diplomatic post in the country has been met with a cold response. In his words, it is not the idea of the century.
