John Hannaford (Canadian civil servant)

For other people named John Hannaford, see John Hannaford (disambiguation).

John Hannaford is a Canadian civil servant and is currently serving as the 25th clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet since June 24, 2023, the most senior civil servant in the Government of Canada.

John Hannaford
25th Clerk of the Privy Council Secretary to the Cabinet
Incumbent
Assumed office June 24, 2023
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Janice Charette
Personal details
Alma mater	Queen's University (BA) London School of Economics (B.Sc) University of Toronto (LL.B.)

Education

Hannaford completed a Bachelor of Arts, History degree at Queen's University. Then, he completed a Master of Science, International Relations degree at the London School of Economics. Lastly, he completed a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of Toronto.^[1]

Career

His previous roles include:^[1]

• June 24, 2023: Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet
• 2022–2023: Deputy Minister of Natural Resources
• 2019–2022: Deputy Minister of International Trade
• 2015–2019: Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, Privy Council Office
• 2012–2015: Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet (Foreign and Defence Policy), Privy Council Office
• 2009–2012: Ambassador of Canada to Norway
• 2007–2009: Director General and Deputy Legal Advisor, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
• 2005–2007: Director, United Nations, Human Rights and Economic Law Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
• 2003–2005: Deputy Director, Trade Law Bureau, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
• 2001–2003: Deputy Director, Investment Trade Policy Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

Hannaford was also involved at a high level in the renegotiation of NAFTA, and he was at one time a foreign and defense policy adviser to Justin Trudeau.^[2]

He was appointed as clerk following the retirement of Janice Charette on June 24, 2023.^[3]

References

1. "John Hannaford". pm.gc.ca. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
2. Austen, Ian (3 June 2023). "He's the Biggest Power Broker in Canada Whom You've Never Heard Of". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
3. Office, Privy Council (29 May 2017). "Clerk and Deputy Clerk - Privy Council Office". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 10 July 2023.