The Canadian Agri-Food Automation & Intelligence Network (CAAIN) and the Government of Canada are pleased to host Exploring Canada’s Role in Global Agriculture – An Evening with Weekes & McConnell at the Ottawa Westin Hotel, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on February 10, 2025.
As a former senior Canadian official and negotiator whose active involvement in trade matters spans more than five decades, John Weekes brings a strategic perspective to analysing the evolution of the trading system and its rules and how they interact with other policy spheres including changing concepts on the role of governments in modern societies and fundamental shifts in the international security situation.
To call his career in international affairs extraordinary would be an understatement. He served as Canada’s ambassador to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade from 1987 to 1991, during which time he was one of our lead negotiators in the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). From 1991 to 1994, he led Canada’s NAFTA negotiating team and in 1995, he was appointed Canadian ambassador to the WTO, a position he held until 1999. From 1999 to 2021 he advised private- and public-sector clients on multilateralism and international trade.
Mr. Weekes is a member of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations, which is focused on contributing key elements to a comprehensive Canadian strategy for relations between the two countries in a difficult period. The group is supported by Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI). He is actively involved in two prestigious Geneva-based organisation, Friends of Multilateralism, and the Management Board of the Advisory Centre on WTO Law, which he chairs, as well as being a fellow of the CGAI. His agricultural experience is significant and includes serving on the boards of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency and of the Canadian Agrifood Policy Institute.
Kim McConnell has carved an equally interesting and influential body of work in the ag sector. A recipient of the Order of Canada, he is co-founder and past CEO of AdFarm, one of the largest agricultural marketing communications firms in North America.
Join these two agri-food sector stars as they engage in a frank discussion of the technology, processes, and systems that feed an increasingly volatile planet and its growing population.
Reception and informal networking to follow.
Seating is limited, and registration will close when we reach capacity. There is no charge to attend, as CAAIN believes that, in our capacity as an agtech sector hub, we must serve as a connector, bringing together stakeholders and facilitating collaboration.
This event is a lead-in to Farm Credit Canada’s Future of Food, which will take place on Canada’s Agriculture Day, February 11, 2025, at Ottawa’s Shaw Centre. To register for Future of Food, click here.
This event is a lead-in to Farm Credit Canada’s Future of Food, which will take place on Canada’s Agriculture Day, February 11, 2025, at Ottawa’s Shaw Centre. To register for Future of Food, click here.
