Canada at the G7 Table: Redefining Trade Priorities

Peter Boehm was appointed to the Senate of Canada in October 2018 representing the province of Ontario. From November 2020 until the prorogation of Parliament in January 2025, he served as Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He has served as Ambassador to Germany, Minister at the Embassy of Canada to the United States of America, and Ambassador to the Organization of American States, among other foreign postings. Senator Boehm is a former Deputy Minister of International Development and Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; he also served several prime ministers as Personal Representative (“Sherpa”) for international summits.

Ed Fast is a lawyer with more than two decades of experience practicing corporate and commercial law in Abbotsford. His extensive public service includes terms as an Abbotsford School Trustee, three terms on the Abbotsford City Council and finally as MP for Abbotsford from 2006 until 2025. In 2011, under then-prime minister Stephen Harper, Ed was named to cabinet as minister of International Trade for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. For almost five years he led Canada’s negotiations on free trade agreements with the European Union, South Korea, Ukraine and the original Trans-Pacific Partnership countries. Also in 2011, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in recognition of his distinguished service and leadership in the legal profession. He has also been awarded both the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and King’s Coronation Medal for service to his community and country. Over his many years in public office, Ed has developed an extensive network of contacts within the global trade and investment community and within Canada’s community of political and business decision-makers. Now recently retired from federal politics, Ed remains committed to sharing his knowledge and experience with trade-oriented organizations.

Alan Gogbashian is Deputy Trade Commissioner for North America. Previously, Alan was His Majesty’s Consul General to Chicago from January 2020 to July 2024. As Consul General, he led the UK’s engagement across the 14 states of Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Alan has been a member of the British diplomatic service since 2008. His most recent roles have included Deputy Ambassador to Morocco and Mauritania, Deputy Director Americas, and Head of International Human Resources. Before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Alan worked in corporate law in London and Paris, international development, and the life sciences sector.

Geneviève Tuts began her tenure at the helm of the Delegation of the European Union to Canada in September 2024. She has extensive experience gained in several EU institutions, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the legal profession. She served as the Head of Cabinet for European Commissioner Didier Reynders between December 2019 and August 2024. The portfolio included Justice, Rule of Law, Data Protection, and Consumer Law. Ambassador Tuts started her career as a lawyer specializing in EU law before becoming a magistrate with the Belgian Ministry of Justice. In 2002, she transitioned to the cabinet of the Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs, where she held key roles focused on European and external policies. As Belgium’s Representative in COREPER I in the EU Council of Ministers, she addressed a wide range of EU policies, including energy, environment, climate, and digital. She also served 13 years as Director in the Council of Ministers, leading the work of three Directorates: Transport, Telecom, Energy – inter-institutional affairs and legal service’s Directorate Quality of Legislation.