Mark Carney to name Jonathan Wilkinson as EU ambassador Friday
Prime Minister Mark Carney will appoint jonathan wilkinson as ambassador to the European Union on Friday. The move puts a former Trudeau cabinet minister into a post that Carney’s office says is taking on greater weight as Canada seeks closer diplomatic, economic and military ties to Europe.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Wilkinson “brings three decades of experience at the intersection of public policy, technology, and international economic engagement.” Wilkinson has held the North Vancouver-Capilano riding since 2015, and he will leave the House of Commons with the Liberals on 173 seats, the Conservatives on 140, the Bloc Québécois on 22, the NDP on 4, one Green MP and one vacancy.
Wilkinson's cabinet path
Wilkinson was regarded as a competent minister when Justin Trudeau made him natural resources minister. He was later dropped from cabinet along with former defence minister Bill Blair, who is now serving as High Commissioner in London.
The appointment gives Carney a senior political figure for a diplomatic role that sits closer to the center of his Europe agenda. Carney’s office linked that agenda to Ukraine, collective defence and Canada as a destination for global capital and investments, including critical minerals, energy, defence and advanced technologies.
Carney in Yerevan
Carney will be in Yerevan, Armenia, from Saturday to Monday for the summit of the European Political Community. It is the first time that a non-European leader has taken part in the twice annual gathering, which Europe created after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.
That timing places the ambassador appointment beside the broader push in Europe. Alexandre Boulerice’s departure this week to enter provincial politics has already created one vacancy in the House of Commons, and Wilkinson’s move will add another change to Parliament as Carney prepares for talks focused on Ukraine, collective defence and Canadian investment ties.
