President Trump: The First 100 Days

Hon. John R. Baird P.C.
Senior Advisor with Bennett Jones
Former Canadian Foreign Minister

John Baird is a Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP and a former Senior Cabinet Minister in the Government of Canada.

An instrumental figure in bilateral trade and investment relationships, Mr. Baird has played a leading role in the Canada-China dialogue and worked to build ties with ASEAN countries. In addition, Mr. Baird has worked closely with international leaders to strengthen security and economic ties with the United States and Middle Eastern countries.

A native of Ottawa, Baird spent three terms as a Member of Parliament and four years as Foreign Minister. He also served as President of the Treasury Board, Minister of the Environment, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. Prior to entering federal politics, Mr. Baird spent ten years in the Ontario Legislature where he served as Minister of Community and Social Services, Minister of Energy, and Government House Leader.

In addition to his work with Bennett Jones, Mr. Baird sits on the advisory board of Barrick Gold Corp., the corporate boards of Canadian Pacific, Canadian Forest Products (Canfor), the FWD Group and PineBridge Investments. He also serves as a Global Strategic Advisor to Hatch Ltd, a Canadian global multidisciplinary management, engineering, and development consultancy, and is a Senior Advisor at Eurasia Group, a global political risk consultancy.

Mr. Baird also volunteers his time with Community Living Ontario, an organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities, the Prince's Charities, the charitable office of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and is a board member of the Friends of Israel Initiative. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from Queen's University at Kingston.

Tom Clark
Veteran Journalist
Chair, Public Affairs and Communications
Global Public Affairs

Tom Clark joined Global after almost 45 years at the most senior levels of Canadian journalism.

Tom left Global News on January 1, 2017, after serving as the network's chief political correspondent and host of The West Block. He has interviewed every Canadian Prime Minister since Lester B. Pearson and has covered every federal election campaign since 1974. He has reported in eight active war zones and from over 33 countries.

Tom was CTV's China Bureau Chief and was also its Chief Washington Correspondent for five years.  He has a deep understanding of Canada's position in an increasingly complicated international dynamic.

Tom is the recipient of Radio Television Digital News Association lifetime achievement award and has been named one of the most influential journalists in Ottawa.

Chris Sands
Senior Research Professor and Director
Center for Canadian Studies
Johns Hopkins University

Chris Sands is Senior Research Professor and Director of the Centre for Canadian Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Sands is a specialist and frequent media commentator on Canada-US relations. He is currently the G. Robert Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor of Canada-US Business and Economic Relations at Western Washington University. His research and analysis focuses on various cross-border issues, including the implications of NAFTA and the softwood lumber agreement.

Moderator
Anne Giardini, O.C., Q.C.
Chancellor
Simon Fraser University

Anne Giardini, is the 11th Chancellor at Simon Fraser University.

An executive, lawyer, director and writer, Anne Giardini was president of Weyerhaeuser Company Limited from 2008 to 2014 after serving as Weyerhaeuser's General Counsel. A long-time leader within Canada's resource industry, she served on many related boards including B.C.'s Council of Forest Industries, the Alberta Forest Products Association, the Forest Products Association of Canada, and Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc. She is currently a member of the board of WWF-Canada and Vice Chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.

The author of two novels and the editor of a collection of writing advice, Giardini has been Chair of the Vancouver International Writers Festival and a board member of the Writers Trust of Canada. She is an honorary patron of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada.