Biography — John Weekes

Mr. John Weekes is senior international trade policy adviser at the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP. Mr Weekes was Canada's Ambassador to the WTO from 1995 to 1999, and in 1998 served as Chair of the WTO General Council. He chaired the Working Party on the Accession of Saudi Arabia to the WTO from 1996 until 2002. From 1993 to 1995, Mr Weekes was Canada's Chief Negotiator for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). From 1993 to 1995, Mr Weekes served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with responsibility for managing Canada's relations with the United States. He served as Canada's Ambassador to GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and chaired the GATT Council in 1989 and then the GATT Contracting Parties in 1990. Mr Weekes was a member of Canada's negotiating team to the Tokyo Round of GATT negotiations in the 1970s.