The Honourable John Baird is a former elected Member of Parliament who served numerous positions in the Canadian federal government. Baird holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in political studies from Kingston’s Queen’s University and was elected into the House of Commons in 2006 and re-elected in 2008 and 2011. Up until 2015, his roles at various times had been President of the Treasury Board, Minister of the Environment, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and, most recently, Minister of Foreign Affairs. As Minister of Environment, he was a strong advocate for clean energy initiatives to fight climate change. Prior to his role as MP, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, during which time he held roles like Minister of Community and Social Services, Minister of Francophone Affairs, Chief Government Whip, Minister of Energy and Government House Leader. An instrumental figure in bilateral trade and investment relationships, he supported cross-border partnerships, provided developmental assistance and strengthened trade and economic engagement of Canada.

Since retiring from the government, he’s taken on several new roles, including senior business advisor at Bennett Jones LLP and advisory board member for Barrick Gold Corp. and the CP Rail, FWD Group and PineBridge Investments corporate boards. He’s also global strategic advisor for Hatch Ltd., a Canadian global multidisciplinary management, engineering and development consultancy. In the spirit of giving back, he volunteers with Community Living Ontario, an organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities, and the Prince’s Charities, the charitable office of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Though no longer a government official, Baird is still very much active in his community.