OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada is considering whether to pull out all the diplomatic stops in a bid to snare the top job at the World Trade Organization.
Ottawa would be looking to promote its current WTO ambassador, Sergio Marchi, a former chair of the WTO General Council, who speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish.
Marchi has served as immigration, labour, and transport minister in Parliament.
“He (Marchi) is well respected in Geneva. He plays the game very well,” one person familiar with diplomatic relations at WTO headquarters said.
“But I don’t think the Group of 20 wants a developed country taking the top job at the WTO,” the person added. “The optics aren’t good even under normal circumstances.”
Ottawa’s trade department is said to be awaiting political approval to ask the foreign ministry to authorize embassies around the world to begin lobbying governments.
