CCGES is pleased to welcome Mr. Claude Laverdure, Canada’s Ambassador to France, to the York campus to deliver a talk entitled Canada-France Relations: Common History, Shared Future. This lecture is taking place in the context of Prof. Markus Reisenleitner’s Humanities course “Defining Europe: Introduction to European Studies”, however all interested individuals are invited to attend.

During this talk, Ambassador Laverdure will review Canada’s current political, economic, social and cultural links with France, outline the impact of these relations on Canadians, and discuss opportunities to expand our partnerships, including the role that students, young graduates and young professionals can play today and in the years to come.

Ambassador Laverdure graduated from the Collège André-Grasset in Montreal in 1961 and from the Université de Montréal [political science] in 1965. He joined the Department of External Affairs in 1965 and served in Brussels, Paris and Tunis. From 1986 to 1988, he was Ambassador to Haiti and, from 1989 to 1992, he was Ambassador to Zaire, with concurrent accreditation to Burundi, Rwanda and the Congo. In 1998, he was named Ambassador to Belgium, with concurrent accreditation to Luxembourg; he was also the Prime Minister’s Personal Representative for La Francophonie.

In Ottawa, he held a number of senior positions, including Federal Coordinator for La Francophonie; Director General of Human Resources; Assistant Deputy Minister, Africa and Middle East, and Assistant Deputy Minister, Europe, Middle East and North Africa. From August 2000 to December 2003, he served at the Privy Council Office as Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister and Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet (Foreign and Defence Policy). From September 2002 to December 2003 he also served as the Prime Minister’s Personal Representative for the G8 Summit. He presented his credentials to the President of the French Republic on November 4, 2003.

Time: 2:30 pm
Location: Vari Hall “B”