André Pratte is an expert on public policy and considered one of Quebec’s leading public intellectuals. He is currently a strategic advisor with the national advisory firm Catalyze4.

André was a member of the Senate of Canada from 2016 to 2019, sitting as a non-partisan senator.  Previously, he worked as a journalist for more than 35 years, 30 of which at La Presse newspaper in Montreal. He was La Presse’s Editorial Pages Editor from 2001 to 2015.

A keen observer of Canadian and world affairs, André Pratte has written several books on politics, history and the media. He has written articles about the Canada-China relationship and analyzed the evolution of public opinion on the topic.

In 2007, 2008 and in 2010, at the National Newspaper Awards, he was the winner in the Editorial category.

André holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts and a Certificate on Corporate Communications from Cornell University. He is a doctorate student in history at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

He chairs the Quebec Liberal Party’s Policy Committee.

Julia Qian Wang is a tax partner at Bennett Jones. Her practice deals with all aspects of Canadian domestic and international tax law, with a particular focus on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, investment funds, tax planning and tax litigation. Julia also provides advice with respect to the establishment of fund structures (including private equity and venture capital funds) and investments by and in such funds.

She is fluent in English, French and Mandarin.

Juan Wang is an associate professor of political science at McGill University, and the director of the Centre for Global Chinese Studies at McGill. She received her PhD from the Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on the political economy of development, and law and politics in the People’s Republic of China. She is currently working on two projects: (1) how the criminal justice system in China shaped the private sector development since 1949, and (2) how Canadian investment in China developed in the 1970s and the 1980s when China was going through political and economic transition.

Claire Zhang brings over 10 years of international development expertise to her role as Director of the Quebec Chapter at the Canada China Business Council. She previously led business development for Greater China across sectors including edu-tech, entertainment, IT, blockchain, and 5G. Ms. Zhang excelled in building influential relationships with government agencies, industry leaders, and strategic partners in both nations.

Prior to this, Ms. Zhang served as Program Manager at the Quebec Chapter and Interim Chapter Director for the Atlantic Chapter at CCBC. There, she provided critical business intelligence to members from Eastern Canada. She is an expert in organizing large-scale, high-level business missions to China and Canada, facilitating essential negotiations, and helping Canadian enterprises navigate the complexities of the Chinese market.

A dedicated advocate for diversity, women’s leadership, and entrepreneurship, Ms. Zhang holds a B.Comm in Marketing from Concordia University. She is fluent in English and Mandarin, with intermediate French skills. Her charismatic acumen and deep understanding of both business landscapes position her to drive impactful bilateral business development and forge strategic partnerships. Ms. Zhang is also actively involved in the China-Canada community in the Quebec region.