
Français		Home		Contact Us		Help		Search		canada.gc.ca		Canada International

Home > Media Room

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

Canadian Offices Abroad

Services for Canadian Travellers

Services for Business

Canada in the World

About the Department

NEWS RELEASES

2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998 - 1997 - 1996

Print friendly version - Printing Tips

<html> <head> <meta name="generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 10"> <meta http-equiv="content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <style> p { margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1px } body { font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal } </style> </head> <body> September 21, 2006 (1:30 p.m.) No. 109 DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENTS The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Ruth Archibald becomes High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa. Charles Court becomes High Commissioner to the Republic of Guyana, with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to the Republic of Suriname. Helen Economo Amundsen becomes Consul General in Chandigarh (Republic of India). Laurette Glasgow becomes Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium. John T. Holmes becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia, with concurrent accreditation to Timor-Leste. Jean-Pierre Lavoie becomes High Commissioner to the Republic of Cameroon. Thomas Marr becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia. Christopher Westdal becomes Ambassador to Ireland. - 30 - Biographical notes on the appointees are attached. For further information, media representatives may contact: Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (613) 995-1874 <a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221143027/http://www.international.gc.ca/">http://www.international.gc.ca</a> BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES Ruth Archibald (BA [English and Political Science], Memorial University, 1970) joined the (then) Department of External Affairs in 1993. Initially serving with the Government of Ontario, she worked with a number of political organizations from 1972 to 1988. From 1988 to 1992, she was successively Chief of Staff in the offices of the Minister of Employment and Immigration and the Secretary of State for External Affairs. Since joining the department, she has held the positions of Director, Migration, Population and Refugees Division, and Director General, Global and Human Issues Bureau. She served as Canada’s High Commissioner in Colombo from 1998 to 2002 and is currently Senior Coordinator, International Crime and Terrorism. Ruth Archibald succeeds Sandelle Scrimshaw. Charles Court (BA Honours [History], University of Toronto, 1976) joined the (then) Department of External Affairs in 1976 and has since served abroad in Belgrade, Kuwait, Riyadh, Brussels and London. At headquarters he has served with the Commonwealth institutions, Eastern European, Latin American, and Intelligence Analysis Divisions, and with the Privy Council Office. He has served as Deputy Director of both the Western Europe Relations Division and the North American and Euro-Atlantic Security and Defence Relations Division. Mr. Court is currently Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in Brussels. He and his wife, Branka, have two children, Kimberley and Gordon. Charles Court succeeds Bruno Picard. Helen Economo Amundsen (BA History, 1976; Diploma in Education, 1979, McGill University) joined the Department of External Affairs in 1981 and has since served abroad in Warsaw, Athens and London. In 1992, she moved to Employment and Immigration Canada in Ottawa, where she served as Director, Litigation Management; Director, Africa and Middle East Division; and Acting Senior Director, Geographic Operations. Ms. Economo Amundsen is currently Acting Director General in the Corporate Services Sector at Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Laurette Glasgow (BA [Political Science], University of Manitoba; MA [International Affairs], Johns Hopkins University; Continuing Education [Theology], Oxford University) joined the public service in 1971 and worked with the Department of Communications, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Department of Finance. In 1982, she joined the (then) Department of External Affairs, where she served as Senior Advisor, Cabinet Liaison. From 1987 to 1992, Ms. Glasgow was assigned to the Trade and Economic Section of the Canadian Embassy in Washington. From 1992 to 1994, she served as Deputy Director of the International Economic Relations and Summits Division, then as its Director until 1999. From 1999 to 2003, she was Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at Canada’s Permanent Mission to the European Union, in Brussels. Most recently she has served as Canada’s Consul General for Monaco, and Minister Plenipotentiary for France, resident in Paris. She is married to Ross Glasgow, and they have two children, Katherine and Robert. Laurette Glasgow succeeds John McNee. John T. Holmes (BA, McGill University, 1978; LLB, McGill University, 1982) joined the (then) Department of External Affairs in 1982, and has since served abroad in Bridgetown, in Accra and in New York at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations. In Ottawa, he held a number of positions including Director, Legal Advisory Division, and Director of the United Nations, Human Rights and Economic Law Division. He currently serves as Canada’s Ambassador to Jordan, in Amman, and since 2005 as non-resident Ambassador to Iraq. He is married to Carol Bujeau and they have two children, Jordan and Kayla. John Holmes succeeds Randolph Mank. Jean-Pierre Lavoie (BA [Psychology], Université de Moncton, 1980; MA [Public Administration], École nationale d’administration publique, 1996) joined the Public Service in 1981 as a Branch Director with Employment and Immigration Canada. Moving to Public Works and Government Services Canada in 1983, he went on to serve as Head of Production and Administration; of Management Services; of Canadian Forces Specialized Services; and, finally, of Operations. In 1991, he moved to the Senate of Canada as Director of Services. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Lavoie served as Canadian Advisor and Advisor to the Policy Commission at the Assemblée parlementaire de la francophonie in Paris, France. Returning to Ottawa in 1999, he joined Communications Canada as Director General of Corporate Services. He currently serves as Director General, Quality, Information and Technology, with Canada Economic Development. Jean-Pierre Lavoie succeeds Jules Savaria. Thomas Marr (BA Honours [History], Carleton University, 1974; MA [Soviet and East European Studies], Carleton University, 1977) joined the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce in 1978, following three years working as a personnel officer for the Canadian Penitentiary Service. From 1982 to 1983, he served as departmental assistant to Ministers Gray and Lumley. He has since served as Deputy Consul General in Bucharest, Dusseldorf, Vienna, Moscow and Chicago. At headquarters he has served as desk officer, Eastern Europe Division, and Deputy Director, Eastern Europe Trade Division. Mr. Marr is currently Director of the Gulf and Maghreb Division. He and his wife, Toni Fry, have three children. Thomas Marr succeeds Stefanie Beck. Christopher Westdal (BA [Political Science], St. John’s College, 1968; MBA [Public Policy], University of Manitoba, 1970) joined the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 1973, after serving in Dar-es-Salaam with a University of Toronto Economic Advisory Team. He served abroad in New Delhi, and from 1982 to 1985 was High Commissioner to Bangladesh. In 1991, Mr. Westdal was named Ambassador to South Africa, a position he held until 1993. From 1995 to 1998, he served as Ambassador to Ukraine. In Ottawa, he undertook assignments at CIDA and served as Regional Director, East Africa, from 1979 to 1982. From 1987 to 1991, he was Director General, International Organizations Bureau, at the Department of External Affairs, and in 1994 he was named Ambassador for Disarmament. From 1998 to 1999, he was Special Adviser, African Strategy. Mr. Westdal also served on two occasions at the Privy Council Office, first as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Defence Policy, and again with the Foreign Policy and Defence Secretariat. In 1999, he was named Alternate Permanent Representative, Ambassador to the Office of the United Nations, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Convention on Disarmament in Geneva. Since 2003 he has served as Canada's Ambassador to Russia, in Moscow. He is married to Sheila Hayes. Christopher Westdal succeeds Mark Moher. </body> </html>

2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 - 1999 - 1998 - 1997 - 1996

Print friendly version - Printing Tips



Last Updated: 2006-10-30	Top of Page	Important Notices