Hugh MacKinnon announced as new Canada Institute Advisory Board co-chair

WASHINGTON— Canada Institute Director David Biette today announced the appointment of Hugh MacKinnon as the Canadian co-chair of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute Advisory Board.

“Hugh MacKinnon has served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Canada Institute, already contributing his time, resources, and ideas to the Institute,” said Biette. “We very much look forward to having Hugh continue his valuable work as a co-chair on the Advisory Board and to further advance the Canada Institute’s mission.” 

MacKinnon currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bennett Jones LLP in Toronto and is a member of the firm's Partnership Board. He previously maintained an active corporate commercial practice in Calgary and Toronto.  

Biette said he was very pleased to have someone of MacKinnon’s background and experience serving as the Canadian co-chair of the Institute’s Advisory Board. “Hugh’s involvement with corporate and charitable communities in Canada will be a great asset for the Canada Institute and the Wilson Center,” he said.

MacKinnon will join U.S. co-chair Paul Frazer, senior advisor at 3-Click Solutions in Washington, D.C., and special advisor on Canada-U.S. relations to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. and Canadian co-chairs lead the Canada Institute in long-term strategic oversight and direction, programming, research agendas, and fundraising. They will work in consultation with the Canada Institute’s 40-member Advisory Board, collectively serving as a liaison and advocate for the Institute, in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, with the academic, business, policymaking, government, and media communities.

The Canada Institute was established in 2001 to increase awareness and knowledge about Canada and U.S.-Canadian relations among U.S. policymakers and opinion leaders. Focusing predominantly on energy and the environment, trade, and border and border security, the Institute explores the world’s largest trading relationship.

The Wilson Center  provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world.

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