NEWS RELEASES

May 11, 2005 (10:30 a.m. EDT)
No. 82

DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT AND
MONTREAL CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE

Minister of Foreign Affairs Pierre Pettigrew and Minister of the Environment Stéphane Dion today announced the appointment of Jacques Bilodeau as Ambassador for Climate Change. Ambassador Bilodeau will also act as the personal representative of Minister Dion at the upcoming Montreal Conference on Climate, which Canada is hosting from November 28 to December 9, 2005.

Ambassador Bilodeau will work closely with Minister Dion on preparations for this international conference, which will serve as the 11th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It will also be the first meeting of signatories to the Kyoto Protocol since the protocol came into effect on February 16, 2005. The conference is expected to attract more than 7,000 people from over 180 countries.

As the Minister’s personal representative, Ambassador Bilodeau will consult with governments worldwide on how the conference can make significant progress in the global fight against climate change. This will be done in a manner that reflects the unique circumstances experienced by different countries and the need to promote sustainable development.

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A biographical note is attached.

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Sébastien Théberge
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851

Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs Canada
(613) 995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca

André Lamarre
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of the Environment
(819) 997-1441

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Jacques Bilodeau (MA, École nationale d’administration publique, 1973; BA [Political Science], Laval University, 1967; BA, Laval University, 1964).

Mr. Bilodeau joined the Department of External Affairs in 1967, and served abroad in Havana, Cuba; Accra, Ghana; Athens, Greece; Paris, France; and Rome, Italy. He served as Ambassador to Senegal from 1990 to 1994, with accreditation to The Gambia, Mauritania, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. He served as Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000, and Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg from 2000 to 2004. Mr. Bilodeau returned to Ottawa in August 2004. He continues to serve as the Prime Minister’s personal representative for La Francophonie, a position he has held since 2000.