The Council on Canada-U.S. Relations announced Jan. 16 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau includes 19 members.

In addition to Martin Caron, the president of the Union des producteurs agricoles, it includes a variety of experts from the business and political words.

Among them are three former premiers – Jean Charest from Quebec, Rachel Notley from Alberta and Stephen McNeil of Nova Scotia.

The panel also includes Canada’s ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman and her predecessor, David MacNaughton.

Other members bring a variety of expertise to the table, including:

Jody Thomas is a long-time federal public servant who has been Trudeau’s national security adviser since 2022.

Flavio Volpe is the leader of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association.

Hassan Yussuff is a Senator and former president of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Brian Topp is a political strategist, union leader and writer. He served as ex-Alberta premier Rachel Notley’s chief of staff and was the runner up for the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party in 2012, finishing behind Tom Mulcair.

Among the most recognizable faces on the council is Arlene Dickenson. The businesswoman, investor and author is perhaps best known for her role on the television show Dragon’s Den.

Businessman Wesley Hall is another member of the Dragon’s Den team.

Linda Hasenfratz is the president and CEO of Linamar, an Ontario-based manufacturer. She is the former chair of the Business Council of Canada and a member of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

Lana Payne is the president of Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union.

Tabatha Bull is a member of Nipissing First Nation in northern Ontario, and president of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business.

Shahrzad Rafati is chairwoman and CEO of RHEI, formerly BBTV, a global media company headquartered in Vancouver.

Tim Gitzel is president and CEO of Saskatoon-based Cameco, the world’s largest publicly traded uranium company.

Peter Tertzakian is an economist, author and the deputy director of the ARC Energy Research Institute, a Calgary-based organization focused on researching energy trends for investors and corporate leaders.

Steve Verheul is Canada’s former chief trade negotiator from 2017 and 2021 who helped put together the NAFTA agreement with the U.S. and Mexico and the Canada-European Union trade agreement. Prior to that he was Canada’s chief agriculture negotiator responsible for leading the country’s involvement in international trade talks involving agriculture.