Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)

Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry
Federal
Incumbent John Baird PC, MP since 18 May 2011
Style	The Honourable
Appointed by	David Lloyd Johnston as Governor General of Canada
First	André Ouellet
Formation	4 November 1993
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Website	www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca

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The Minister of Foreign Affairs (French: Ministre des Affaires étrangères) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. In addition to the Department, the Minister is also the lead in overseeing the, the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development and the International Development Research Centre.

History

From 1909 to 1993 the position was known as the Secretary of State for External Affairs. The current minister is John Baird. Ministers holding the External Affairs and Foreign Affairs portfolios have sometimes played prominent international roles:

• Lester B. Pearson (a future Prime Minister) defused the Suez Crisis and established the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces and as a result received the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize.

• Joe Clark (a former Prime Minister) led opposition to South Africa's Apartheid system in the Commonwealth of Nations, against initial resistance from the British government of Margaret Thatcher and the United States government.

• Lloyd Axworthy brought about the Ottawa Treaty, banning anti-personnel landmines in most countries of the world.

As in Pearson's case (and that of Louis St. Laurent, his predecessor), the portfolio can be a final stepping stone to the Prime Minister's Office. Until 1946, it was customary for the office to be held by the sitting Prime Minister. John Diefenbaker would hold the portfolio on two subsequent occasions.

Ministers

Key:

  Liberal Party of Canada

  Conservative Party of Canada

No.	Portrait	Name	Term of office		Political party	Ministry
1		André Ouellet	November 4, 1993	January 24, 1996	Liberal	26 (Chrétien)
2		Lloyd Axworthy	January 25, 1996	October 16, 2000	Liberal
3		John Manley	October 17, 2000	January 15, 2002	Liberal
4		Bill Graham	January 15, 2002	December 11, 2003	Liberal
			December 12, 2003	July 19, 2004		27 (Martin)
5		Pierre Pettigrew	July 20, 2004	February 5, 2006	Liberal
6		Peter MacKay	February 6, 2006	August 14, 2007	Conservative	28 (Harper)
7		Maxime Bernier	August 14, 2007	May 26, 2008	Conservative
8		David Emerson	May 26, 2008	October 20, 2008	Conservative
9		Lawrence Cannon	October 30, 2008	May 18, 2011	Conservative
10		John Baird	May 18, 2011	Incumbent	Conservative

Official Opposition Foreign Affairs Critics

• Paul Dewar, May 2011-present
• Bob Rae, March 2008-May 2011
• Ujjal Dosanjh, January 2007-March 2008

External links

• Department of Foreign Affairs: History: Introduction
• Department of Foreign Affairs Canada