Global Affairs Canada (GAC; ; AMC)Global Affairs Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department of the Government of Canada that manages Canada's diplomatic and consular relations, promotes Canadian international trade, and leads Canada's international development and humanitarian assistance. It is also responsible for maintaining Canadian government offices abroad with diplomatic and consular status on behalf of all government departments and contains within it Canada's official chief officer and supportive staff for Canada's Office of Protocol.Office of Protocol of Canada, Global Affairs Canada
According to the OECD, Canada's total official development assistance (ODA) (US$7.8 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2022 due to exceptional support to Ukraine and its pandemic response in developing countries, increased costs for in-donor refugees as well as higher contributions to international organizations, representing 0.37% of gross national income (GNI).
History The department has undergone numerous name changes and re-organizations since its founding in 1909. Originally established as the "Department of External Affairs", GAC has been known by a variety of names throughout its lifetime. Its current legal name is the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, but its "applied" name used within government is Global Affairs Canada often shorted in the Canadian media to simply "Global Affairs".
Origins (early 20th century) GAC was first founded as the Department of External Affairs on 1 June 1909.
During and after World War I, Canada assumed greater control over its foreign relations, with its full autonomy in this field confirmed by the Statute of Westminster in 1931. For historical reasons, the name External Affairs was retained.Eary, James. 1982. "The Department of External Affairs." In The Times Survey of Foreign Ministries of the World, edited by Z. Stein. London: Times Books. p. 96.
The Department of Trade and Commerce, which included the Trade Commissioner Service, had been created in 1892. In 1969, it was combined with the Department of Industry to form the Department of Industry Trade and Commerce (ITC).Osbaldeston, Gordon. 1992. Organizing to Govern, vol. II. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. pp. 454–7. Both External Affairs and ITC maintained networks of offices abroad, with varying degrees of coordination among them. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration also had offices abroad, in some cases dating back to Confederation.
Reorganization (1970s–80s) In the 1970s and early 1980s, there were growing efforts to ensure coordination among all Canadian government offices outside Canada and to strengthen the leadership role and authority of heads of post (ambassadors, high commissioners, and consuls general) over all Canadian government staff in their areas of accreditation. This led to a 1979 decision by Prime Minister Joe Clark to consolidate the various streams of the Canadian Foreign Service, including the "political" (traditional diplomatic) stream, the Trade Commissioner Service, and the Immigration Foreign Service.
This was followed in 1982 by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's decision to combine External Affairs and International Trade into a single department. It initially retained the name of Department of External Affairs, but was subsequently renamed External Affairs and International Trade.Osbaldeston, Gordon. 1992. Organizing to Govern, vol. II. pp. 449–51. The change was reflected in a new Department of External Affairs Act passed in 1983.Osbaldeston, Gordon. 1992. Organizing to Govern, vol. II. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. p. 280. The 1982 merger was part of larger reorganization of government that also combined the Industry component of ITC with the Department of Regional Economic Expansion.
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (1993–95) The department's name was changed to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in 1993, about 60 years after Canada had gained control over its foreign policy in 1931—though this change was only formalized by an Act of Parliament in 1995. DFAIT maintained two separate ministers: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, with lead responsibility for the portfolio, and the Minister of International Trade. The Minister for International Cooperation, who was responsible for agencies such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), also fell under DFAIT. Moreover, the responsibilities of DFAIT would include Canadian relations with Commonwealth nations—though such nations are not considered 'foreign' to one another.
CIDA had been formally established in 1968, although a preceding External Aid Office was created as a branch of the External Affairs Department in 1960,Osbaldeston, Gordon. 1992. Organizing to Govern, vol. II. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. pp. 198–9. building on roots that go back to the Colombo Plan in the early 1950s.
Recent developments (21st century) Through an administrative separation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, two separate departments named Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) and International Trade Canada (ITCan) were created in December 2003. However, legislation to formally abolish DFAIT and provide a statutory basis for the separate departments failed to pass a first vote in the House of Commons on 15 February 2005. The government, nonetheless, maintained the administrative separation of the two departments despite neither having been established through an Act of Parliament.
In early 2006, under the new government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper,Schmitz, G. 2014. "The Harper government and the de-democratization of Canadian foreign policy." Canadian Foreign Policy 20(2):224. Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada were re-joined to again form a single department known as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
In 2013, included within the Conservative government's omnibus budget bill, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 21, 2013 and other measures (Bill C-60), was a section that would fold CIDA into the department, creating the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). The bill received royal assent on 26 June 2013.STATUTES OF CANADA 2013 . LEGISinfo. Parliament of Canada.
On 4 November 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's new Liberal government again modified the name of the department. While its legal name remains the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, its public designation (applied title) under the Federal Identity Program is Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Despite the change to the applied title of the department, the senior minister responsible is still called the Minister of Foreign Affairs, rather than "Minister of Global Affairs", in line with the terminology used in other jurisdictions and in international law.
Functions and structure
GAC is headquartered in the Lester B. Pearson Building at 125 Sussex Drive on the banks of the Rideau River in Ottawa, but operates out of several properties in Canada's National Capital Region.
Ministers Ministers and parliamentary secretaries to ministers are elected members of the House of Commons and accountable to Parliament. Ministers are also members of the cabinet and privy council (and thus entitled to use the prefix "the Honourable"). The current leadership of GAC is provided by three ministers, each with their own responsibilities.
The minister of foreign affairs (as of 2025 Anita Anand) is the senior minister in the department, with responsibility for foreign policy matters as well as the department overall. This ministerial portfolio includes:
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada International Joint Commission Permanent Joint Board on Defense Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission The portfolio of the Secretary of State (International Development) (currently Randeep Sarai) is responsible for international development, poverty reduction, and humanitarian assistance. This ministerial portfolio includes:
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council Development finance institutions African Development Bank Asian Development Bank Inter-American Development Bank Caribbean Development Bank International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
The minister of international trade (currently Maninder Sidhu) is responsible for matters of international trade. This ministerial portfolio includes:
Business Development Bank of Canada Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) Export Development Canada (EDC) Invest in Canada Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor Trade Commissioner Service Canadian Foreign Service Institute (CFSI) The institute is Global Affairs Canada's primary training provider. It offers training to clients in federal, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as to non-governmental organizations, foreign governments and organizations, academic institutions, and, in certain cases, private sector companies.
Current departmental structure Deputy ministers are senior public servants who take political direction from ministers and are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the department.
The current departmental structure, and corresponding executives, are as follows:
Minister of Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs North America Latin America and the Caribbean Europe, Middle East and the Maghreb Asia & Africa Minister of International Development Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development Deputy Minister of International Development International Development Research Centre International Assistance Operations Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Deputy Minister of International Trade Trade Commissioner Service Export Development Canada Canadian Commercial Corporation Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
Branches of Global Affairs each have their own Assistant Deputy Minister, who report to all three deputy ministers:
Strategic Planning and Policy Consular, Security and Emergency Management Branch Global Issues International Security International Business Development, Investment & Innovation Trade Policy & Negotiation International Platform Legal Advisor Human Resources Corporate Finance and Operations
Organizations Included in the portfolios of the three Global Affairs ministers are:
Crown corporations:Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat: Crown Corporations and Other Corporate Interests of Canada 2007 Business Development Bank of Canada Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) Export Development Canada (EDC) International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Invest in Canada shared-governance corporations (responsibility of Foreign Affairs minister): Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada International Joint Commission Permanent Joint Board on Defense Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission international organizations: African Development Bank Asian Development Bank Inter-American Development Bank Caribbean Development Bank Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council
Nomenclature The change of terminology from external affairs to foreign affairs recognized, albeit belatedly, a shift that had occurred many years before.