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John M. Weekes

Senior Business Advisor

Senior Business Advisor |

T: 613.683.2313

Ottawa

John Weekes
 
  • Insights, News & Events
  • Related Services

T: 613.683.2313


Ottawa

  • Education
  • Insights, News & Events
  • Related Services
  • Insights, News & Events
  • Related Services

John Weekes helps clients understand how trade negotiations and agreements can impact their business interests and advises on what they can do to advance and defend their interests.

John Weekes joined Bennett Jones LLP as a senior business advisor in the Ottawa office in 2010.

He is an expert in international trade policy, trade agreements, and the settlement of trade disputes. He provides clients with an insider's perspective on how governments approach such matters, including the negotiation, implementation and management of trade agreements and trade relations. With his extensive experience he assists businesses and governments to develop strategies to advance and protect their interests. He enjoys opportunities to think outside the box and elaborate innovative solutions to the challenges faced by clients.

Mr. Weekes participates regularly in conferences and TV interviews on the challenges facing the trading system and related political issues and contributes articles to newspapers and magazines.

Mr. Weekes serves on the Trade Advisory Council to the Deputy Minister of International Trade.

In June 2016 Mr. Weekes was appointed to the Board of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute an organization that promotes new approaches to address key challenges faced by the Canadian agri-food industry. He chairs the Board’s Committee on Governance and Human Resources.

Mr. Weekes is a member of the Management Board of the Advisory Centre on WTO Law in Geneva, an intergovernmental agreement designed to help developing countries with legal challenges associated with WTO membership.

He is also a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute based in Calgary and Ottawa.

Mr. Weekes is a member of the Advisory Council to the International Trade and Competition Unit at Competere, a London based trade law and economic policy consultancy. The unit has been established to offer independent nonpartisan advice on the trade policy challenges and opportunities the UK faces as it negotiates new trade agreements following its departure from the EU. Members of the Council act in an advisory capacity to Competere and serve in their individual capacity.

From 1971 until 1999 Mr. Weekes worked in the Canadian government on the development of trade policy, participating in negotiations and working to ensure their successful implementation. During these years he assisted ministers in successive governments advising on the formulation of the government's approach to managing trade relations and on the negotiation of trade agreements. In Ottawa he served in jobs ranging from desk officer, to chief negotiator for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and senior assistant deputy minister, and abroad from first secretary, to ambassador to GATT, and subsequently ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Mr. Weekes regularly advised Canadian ministers at international meetings. He also represented Canada in trade negotiations and at various international trade meetings. He was Canada’s ambassador to the WTO from 1995 to 1999 and chair of the WTO General Council in 1998. From 1991 to 1994 he served as Canada’s chief negotiator for NAFTA, including for the side agreements on environmental and labour co-operation. He was ambassador to GATT during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and served as chair of the GATT Council in 1989 and chair of the Contracting Parties to GATT in 1990. In the 1970s, he participated in the Tokyo Round of GATT negotiations.

As NAFTA chief negotiator, he played a key role in managing the negotiating process inside the Canadian government including in determining the best way to structure Canada's negotiating effort and the composition and organization of the negotiating team. After the implementation of NAFTA and the creation of the WTO he played a lead role in advising on how to restructure the trade policy functions inside Canada's then Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to take account of the changed landscape of trade agreements and ensure that Canada derived full benefit from these new agreements.

Mr. Weekes chaired the Working Party on the Accession of Saudi Arabia to the WTO during the critical formative part of the accession negotiations from 1996 until 2002.

In 1999 Mr Weekes accepted an offer from APCO Worldwide, a Washington-based international public affairs and communications consultancy, to become the chair of APCO's Global Trade Practice and to open its Geneva office.

In 2003 he joined the American law firm Sidley Austin as a senior international trade policy advisor based in the firm’s Geneva office. In these positions he provided advice to many clients including large American companies on how to advance their interests in the WTO's Doha Round negotiations. He also advised clients on the protection of intellectual property rights before various international organizations in Geneva.

From 2008 until 2015 Mr. Weekes was a director of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency and for several years chaired the Board's Market Access Committee. 

He participates actively in masters swimming as a member of the Ottawa club Technosport. He competes in provincial and national competitions and participated in the 15th FINA World Masters Championships in Montreal in 2014.

Education

University of Toronto, BA (Hons., Political Science and Economics)

Insights, News & Events

Speaking Engagements

John Weekes on CGAI Podcast: America First, Canada Last?

February 09, 2021
       

Articles

John Weekes on Re-Engaging the World on Trade

December 18, 2020
       

Blog

The Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement: Deepening Ties Between Canada and the U.K.

December 17, 2020
       

Blog

How Businesses Can Risk Manage the USMCA: Anti-Corruption

October 29, 2020
       

Blog

How Businesses Can Risk Manage the USMCA: Labour

October 28, 2020
       

Blog

How Businesses Can Risk Manage the USMCA: Trade and Customs

October 27, 2020
       

Podcast

International Trade: Canada's Relationships With Its Key Trading Partners

October 22, 2020
       

Articles

Update on Impact of CUSMA on Canadian Energy Stakeholders

June 24, 2020
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Spring 2020 Economic Outlook

June 08, 2020
       

Blog

The Stakes Are High in Global Trade, and Canada Should Help

May 15, 2020
       

Blog

Trade Implications of COVID-19 from a Canadian Perspective

April 02, 2020
       

In the News

John Weekes on Canada and USMCA: An Unexpected Success Story

January 24, 2020
       

In the News

John Weekes on U.S.-China Trade Deal

January 13, 2020
       

In the News

John Weekes on the WTO's Stark Choice

December 26, 2019
       

Blog

NAFTA "2.1"—The Amended and Final Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement

December 17, 2019
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Fall 2019 Economic Outlook

November 12, 2019
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Spring 2019 Economic Outlook

June 04, 2019
       

In the News

John Weekes in Globe and Mail on CUSMA

May 27, 2019
       

Articles

Drilling Down on the Impact of CUSMA on Canadian Energy Stakeholders

March 27, 2019
       

Speaking Engagements

European American Chamber of Commerce on NAFTA 2.0

February 25, 2019
       

In the News

John Weekes on U.S. Congressional Approval of CUSMA

February 01, 2019
       

In the News

John Weekes on a Canadian Perspective on the CUSMA

January 09, 2019
       

In the News

John Weekes in National Post on Trump Leveraging USMCA

December 06, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes on CBC News Network on CUSMA Signing

November 30, 2018
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Fall 2018 Economic Outlook

November 27, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes on How NAFTA Became the USMCA

November 06, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes on the Creation of WTO and the Current Trade Debate

October 31, 2018
       

Updates

Introducing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)

October 04, 2018
       

Announcements

John Weekes on BNNBloomberg on United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement

October 01, 2018
       

Blog

The Paradoxes of International Trade Today

September 27, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes on CBC’s Power & Politics

September 09, 2018
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Spring 2018 Economic Outlook

June 05, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes on CTV’s Power Play on NAFTA

April 25, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes in Globe and Mail on Trump and TPP

April 16, 2018
       
2018
Apr
12
       

Event

NAFTA and Its Impact on Alberta Business

Edmonton

In the News

John Weekes on BNN: What to Expect Next in NAFTA Trade Talks

April 06, 2018
       

Articles

John Weekes on the Confusion and Opportunity of Canada's Trade Negotiations

March 29, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes in Canadian Press on Steel Aluminum and U.S.

March 08, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes on Power & Politics on NAFTA Negotiations

January 29, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes on NAFTA Round 6 in Montreal

January 26, 2018
       

In the News

John Weekes and Matthew Kronby in Globe on “Plan B” for U.S. Trade

January 11, 2018
       

Blog

Tough NAFTA Negotiations Continue

December 27, 2017
       

Blog

Canadian Free Trade Framework Mitigates a NAFTA Demise

December 11, 2017
       

In the News

It's Not the End of the World if NAFTA Disappears: John Weekes

December 06, 2017
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Fall 2017 Economic Outlook

November 23, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes in Globe and Mail on Working with Mexico on NAFTA

November 17, 2017
       

Speaking Engagements

John Weekes at Cato Institute on NAFTA

October 26, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes in Bloomberg on Fourth Round of NAFTA Talks

October 16, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes and Matthew Kronby on Renegotiating NAFTA

September 22, 2017
       

Speaking Engagements

John Weekes at 2017 Palmer Conference in Charlottetown

August 29-31, 2017
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Spring 2017 Economic Outlook

June 01, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes in Bloomberg on NAFTA Revamp and Mexican Election

March 09, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes in Globe and Mail on NAFTA Negotiations

February 17, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes in Bloomberg on What Refashioning NAFTA May Look Like

February 16, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes on CBC's As it Happens on "Tweaking" NAFTA

February 15, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes on CPAC's PrimeTime Politics on NAFTA

February 14, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes on Bloomberg TV Canada's on NAFTA Update

February 13, 2017
       

Articles

The Cost of Trump's Transactional Approach to Trade

January 04, 2017
       

In the News

John Weekes on the Cost of Trump's Transactional Approach to Trade

January 04, 2017
       

Articles

Where Next? Picking up the Pieces of the Trans-Pacific Partnership

December 29, 2016
       

Articles

John Weekes in Globe and Mail on Canada's Important Relationship With Mexico

December 15, 2016
       

In the News

John Weekes on The Global Exchange on Trump, Canada and Trade

December 07, 2016
       

In the News

John Weekes on Bloomberg TV Canada: NAFTA Chief Negotiator Weighs in on Trump's Policies

December 05, 2016
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Fall 2016 Economic Outlook

November 29, 2016
       

In the News

Canada could make some gains if NAFTA reopened: negotiators

October 04, 2016
       

In the News

John Weekes in Reuters: Impact on Canada if NAFTA Reopened

October 04, 2016
       

Articles

Choices for the Future: The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Canada

August 2016
       

In the News

John Weekes on CTV's Power Play on Brexit and CETA

June 24, 2016
       

Updates

Bennett Jones Spring 2016 Economic Outlook

June 07, 2016
       

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