News

February 21, 2020 – Montréal, Quebec Check against delivery. This speech has been translated in accordance with the Government of Canada’s official languages policy and edited for posting and distribution in accordance with its communications policy. Thank you for this warm introduction. What a pleasure to be back here at CORIM [Montreal Council on Foreign Relations]. The last time I was here before CORIM, I was Minister of International Trade. […]

February 7, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointment: Peter MacArthur becomes Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines. Mr. MacArthur replaces John Holmes. Biographical note

Canadian Ambassadors of Note Recognized by their Peers (Ottawa, December 18, 2019) In a new initiative, retired Canadian Ambassadors recognize Canadian Ambassadors of Note who have distinguished themselves by their remarkable achievements since the beginning of Canada’s diplomatic presence abroad. On December 10, Associate Deputy Minister Vincent Rigby and the President of the Retired Heads of Mission Association (RHOMA), Gilles Rivard, presided at a special ceremony at the LB Pearson […]

December 13, 2019 Ottawa, Ontario Here are the PM mandate letters for Global Affairs Canada ministers: Minister of Foreign Affairs Mandate Letter Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mandate Letter Minister of International Development Mandate Letter  

November 21, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointment: Sarah Taylor becomes Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand. Ms. Taylor replaces Donica Pottie. Biographical note

Obituary Canadian diplomat Blair Seaborn carried out a secret mission during the Vietnam War   Greg Donaghy Special to The Globe and Mail   J. Blair Seaborn was already, at 40 years of age (as seen here), one of Canada’s ‘ablest diplomats,’ in the words of Canadian foreign minister Paul Martin Sr. External Affairs via CP Canadian diplomat and public servant Blair Seaborn, who died in Ottawa on Nov. 11 […]

November 4, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Larisa Galadza becomes Ambassador to Ukraine. Ms. Galadza replaces Roman Waschuk. Kumar Gupta becomes High Commissioner in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Gupta replaces Carla Hogan Rufelds. Biographical notes

Before official bilingualism was established in 1969, francophones were scarce in the Canadian public service. Marcel Cadieux was one of the few, becoming arguably the most important francophone diplomat and civil servant in Canadian history. Brendan Kelly’s insightful, entertaining biography reveals a complex figure. Born in 1915 to a Montreal letter carrier who believed that “having a son in Ottawa is like having a daughter who is a prostitute,” Cadieux […]

October 24, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Caroline Charette becomes Ambassador to Hungary. Ms. Charette replaces Isabelle Poupart. Marcy Grossman becomes Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Ms. Grossman replaces Masud Husain. Karolina Guay becomes Ambassador to the Republic of El Salvador. Ms. Guay replaces Maryse Guilbeault. Catherine Ivkoff becomes Ambassador to Mongolia. […]

This announcement from Global Affairs Canada on October 21, 2019: We are pleased to inform you of the following diplomatic appointments: Marcy Grossman becomes Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Karolina Guay becomes Ambassador to the Republic of El Salvador. Catherine Ivkoff becomes Ambassador to Mongolia. Alison LeClaire becomes Ambassador to the Russian Federation. Jean-Philippe Linteau becomes Consul General in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Douglas Scott Proudfoot becomes Ambassador to […]

September 21, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada Global Affairs Canada today announced that Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marta Morgan will lead a Canadian delegation to New York from September 23 to 27, 2019 to attend the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Deputy Minister Morgan will join Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York Marc-André Blanchard and be […]

September 9, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Richard Bale becomes High Commissioner in the Republic of Cameroon. Mr. Bale replaces Nathalie O’Neil. Alan Bowman becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia. Mr. Bowman replaces Daniel Maksymiuk. Jamal Khokhar becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey. Mr. Khokhar replaces Chris Cooter. Biographical notes

September 5, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointment: Donica Pottie becomes Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Ms. Pottie replaces Peter MacDougall. Biographical note

September 4, 2019 Ottawa, Ontario The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the appointment of Dominic Barton as Canada’s Ambassador to China. Mr. Barton chaired Canada’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth. He has directly advised Canada’s Cabinet, and served as a member of the Advisory Committee on the Public Service, which was established by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He is also the chancellor of the University of Waterloo. From […]

September 3, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Brahim Achtoutal becomes Consul General in Istanbul (Republic of Turkey). Mr. Achtoutal replaces Ulric Shannon. Patrice Cousineau becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia. Mr. Cousineau replaces Carol McQueen. Mark Glauser becomes High Commissioner in Australia. Mr. Glauser replaces Paul Maddison. Sandra Shaddick becomes Consul General […]

August 28, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Graeme C. Clark becomes Ambassador to the United Mexican States. Mr. Clark replaces Pierre Alarie. Michael Elliot becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Mali. Mr. Elliot replaces Louis Verret. Lisa Helfand becomes Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of Canada to the […]

August 21, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Sébastien Beaulieu becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal. Mr. Beaulieu replaces Lise Filiatrault. Heather Cameron becomes Consul General in São Paulo (Federative Republic of Brazil). Ms. Cameron replaces Stéphane Larue. Jennifer May becomes Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil. Ms. May replaces Riccardo Savone. […]

On June 5, the CIC National Capital Branch, in partnership with the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) at the University of Ottawa, and the Retired Heads of Mission Association (RHOMA), hosted a pre-election panel on Canadian foreign policy – Is Canada Back? The CPAC video of this event is now available at: http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/public-record/episodes/66034222?jwsource=cl

August 7, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Hugh Adsett becomes Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, in Washington, D.C., Mr. Adsett replaces Jennifer Loten. Madeleine Chenette becomes Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, in Paris. Ms. Chenette replaces Michelle d’Auray. Ariel Delouya becomes […]

On July 31, the Prime Minister named Vincent Rigby as Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, effective August 12, 2019:  News Release