Trade Policy and Market Entry
Guiding businesses through Canada’s regulatory landscape, we help international and domestic partners expand into new markets, maintain compliance, and identify growth opportunities.
Shape trade policies and position for success in global markets.
We simplify trade complexities by leveraging our expertise in government relations, trade policy, and customs and regulatory affairs, giving our partners more operational control, opportunity, and certainty.
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Our Trade Relations Team
Our advisors have decades of experience shaping trade policy, negotiating international trade agreements, and negotiating customs settlements.
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Andrea van Vugt
Chief Operating Officer & Practice Lead, Trade and Federal
Andrea has more than 20 years of experience working in the public and private sectors, advising some of North America’s largest businesses on bilateral and trilateral trade issues. Andrea was the Foreign Affairs and Trade Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada where she played an instrumental role in the conclusion of the Canada-Europe trade negotiations. Andrea also served as Chief of Staff to the Minister of International Trade where she oversaw the conclusion of trade talks with Ukraine, Israel, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Andrea will navigate complicated transborder activities for your organization, including trade and tariff rules.
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Hon. Wayne Wouters, PC, OC
21st Clerk of the Privy Council and Head of the Canadian Public Service
Wayne Wouters serves as Chair of the Wellington Advocacy Strategic Advisory Board.
He joins Wellington Advocacy with nearly 40 years of distinguished public service at the highest levels, serving Prime Ministers from both governing parties. He served as Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet from 2009-2014. In this capacity, Mr. Wouters served as the Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s professional public service and acted as Deputy Minister to Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper. From 2004-2009, Mr. Wouters served as Secretary to the Treasury Board, acting as principal administrator of government programming and expenditure management. Previously, he served as Deputy Minister in several other departments across the public service. On the advice of the Prime Minister Mr. Wouters was appointed by the Governor General as a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada in 2014 and appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2017. Mr. Wouters is a sought after advisor to executives and businesses across Canada. He is a Strategic and Policy Advisor at McCarthy Tétrault LLP and holds directorships at BlackBerry Limited, Canadian Utilities Limited, and Foran Mining Corporation.
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Hon. Janice Charette, PC
22nd Clerk of the Privy Council and Head of the Canadian Public Service
The Hon. Janice Charette joins Wellington Advocacy with nearly 40 years of executive leadership experience in the Government of Canada. Most recently, Ms. Charette played a leadership role on the Transition Team for Prime Minister Mark Carney following his victory in the Liberal leadership race and the 2025 federal election.
Previously, Ms. Charette led the Public Service of Canada as Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet from 2014-2016 and from 2021-2023, during the governments of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
From 2016 to 2021, Ms. Charette represented Canada as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Earlier in her public service career, she led several senior government departments as Deputy Minister, including Health Canada, Citizenship and Immigration, Human Resources and Skills Development, and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Ms. Charette was appointed to the King’s Privy Council for Canada in September 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and has been awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Kingston University (UK) and Carleton University. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Rideau Hall Foundation and as a board member of the Institute for Research in Public Policy.
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Hon. Scott J. Morrison
30th Prime Minister Of Australia
The Honourable Scott Morrison served as Australia’s 30th Prime Minister, from 2018 to 2022.
Prime Minister Morrison was the architect of the AUKUS trilateral defense agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States and a founding member of the Quad Leader’s Dialogue, a leader level diplomatic partnership committed to supporting a prosperous Indo-Pacific, and advancing trade cooperation between Australia, India, Japan, and the US.
Mr. Morrison also negotiated the first post-Brexit Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom. He oversaw the completion of several diplomatic, trade and defense agreements, especially in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia‘s first-ever bilateral defense forces reciprocal access agreement with Japan.
Under his leadership, Australia’s economy outperformed all G7 and OECD nations during the COVID-19 recovery, achieved record-low unemployment, and was one of nine countries in the world to maintain a AAA credit rating. His government prioritized trade diversification, reducing reliance on a single market and expanding Indo-Pacific opportunities.
Mr. Morrison served in the House of Representatives from 2007-2024, and was a senior Cabinet Minister for five years, including three years as Federal Treasurer (2015-2018) where he focused on tax reform, foreign investment, banking regulation and governance and development of Australia’s FinTech sector. Mr. Morrison also served as a Cabinet Minister for Social Security and Immigration and Border Protection. Recognized for his global security and investment resilience leadership, he was awarded Chief Commander of the United States Legion of Merit and the Grotius Prize for International Relations.
In addition to serving on Wellington Advocacy’s Strategic Advisory Board, Prime Minister Morrison is Vice Chairman of American Global Strategies, advising businesses on trade, investment, and economic security. He is also a member of several advisory boards in the private equity sector, the International Democracy Union, the Center for a New American Security, and the Hudson Institute China Center.
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Stephen de Boer
Former Ambassador to the World Trade Organization and Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister
Stephen de Boer joins Wellington Advocacy following a distinguished career in the Government of Canada, with senior roles across Canada’s trade, foreign policy and climate policy agendas.
Most recently, Mr. de Boer served as Deputy Minister and Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister from 2023 to 2025.
Previously, Mr. de Boer served for five years as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization, representing Canada in global trade negotiations and dispute settlement.
From 2015 to 2016, he represented Canada as Ambassador to Poland and Ambassador to Belarus. Earlier in his public service career, Mr. de Boer held senior roles across Global Affairs Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, including Assistant Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s International Affairs Branch.
He also served as Director General of the Trade Controls Bureau; Director of the Oceans and Environmental Law Division; Lead Counsel for Canada’s international climate change negotiations; Deputy Chief Negotiator for climate change; and Director General responsible for Canada’s international climate change partnerships.
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Ann Penner
Vice President
Ann brings to Wellington Advocacy decades of comprehensive experience in the development/implementation of trade legislation, regulations, and policies at the domestic and international levels. While serving as a senior public servant in the Government of Canada, Ann has represented Canada at the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations (UN), and at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Most recently, Ann served for over six years as a Permanent Member of the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) where she presided over complex cases in the areas of trade remedies, procurement, customs, and excise appeals. Ann also served as co-chair of the CITT Outreach Committee and helped to create the CITT Advisory Committee: a body of legal and industry representatives tasked with providing stakeholder insights and recommendations to the Tribunal. Prior to joining Wellington Advocacy, Ann has served as a strategic consultant for numerous high-profile clients on issues related to international trade policy and strategic communications.
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Philippe Bolduc
Vice President
Fluently bilingual, Phil brings a strong background in legislative processes and the Canadian regulatory environment. Drawn from his many years as a senior advisor and Chief of Staff on Parliament Hill, his experience includes familiarity with the Cabinet process, communications and issues management. Phil has deep political relationships in both the political and public service realms across Canada. As an expert in parliamentary procedure, Phil brings an unrivaled understanding to the way things work in Ottawa and Québec City.
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Bonnie Kersch
Consultant
Bonnie is a seasoned international trade compliance professional with almost two decades of experience guiding businesses through the complexities of customs regulations in Canada, the United States, and abroad. She provides strategic counsel on tariff classification, customs valuation, country-of-origin determinations, and the application of free trade agreements, and helps clients mitigate risk and reduce duty exposure across global supply chains. Bonnie’s deep technical expertise spans a wide range of industries, including consumer goods, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and machinery. She has led large-scale compliance initiatives at both the corporate and consulting levels and is especially adept at navigating regulatory challenges related to trade remedies, such as anti-dumping and countervailing duties.
Our Impact
We create value
by shaping government policy and public opinion.
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Government Relations
Our trusted advisors craft and deliver strategies that shape government policy and seize opportunities for partners.
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Public Relations
Our advisors leverage unrivaled experience advising Prime Ministers, Provincial Premiers, Cabinet Ministers to advance strategies that shape public opinion and protect brand reputation.
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Digital Advertising and Mobilization
We combine political campaign expertise with advanced digital marketing strategies to mobilize public support for your cause.
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NGO Partnership Development
We build and strengthen connections between businesses, governments, foundations, and NGO’s to advance international development partnerships worldwide.
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Executive Advisory
Chaired by the Honourable Wayne Wouters, PC, OC, former Head of the Canadian Public Service, the Wellington Advocacy Strategic Advisory Board provides partners with strategic and specialized policy counsel.
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