Canada & The World

1. Minister Joly and Secretary of State Blinken to hold joint media availability from Washington D.C.

   The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will hold a joint media availability with the United States of America Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, on September 30, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

2. Government of Canada reinforces health partnerships in the Americas

   This past week, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, attended the 30th Pan American Sanitary Conference, a high-level event convened every five years by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

3. Minister Joly to travel to Washington, D.C.

   The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will travel to Washington, D.C., United States, to meet with government officials on September 29 and 30, 2022.

4. Announcement of a new diplomatic appointment

   The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointment:

5. Biographical note

   Tara Scheurwater (BA Hons [Political Science], Carleton University, 1994; MA [Political Science], University of Toronto, 1998) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2000. During her time in Canada, she has worked as senior adviser for Strategic Policy and Planning and senior trade commissioner for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut posted out of Edmonton, as well as in various positions at Headquarters. Her positions overseas have included serving as senior trade commissioner in Osaka (2002 to 2006) and Mumbai (2016 to 2019). In between these postings, she took leave from the foreign service to serve as a senior administrator for a Canadian university. Most recently, she served as director of the department’s regional office in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

6. Minister Sajjan concludes participation at opening of 77th UN General Assembly

   The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, wrapped up a successful 5 days of meetings and events as a member of Canada’s delegation to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Week and the UN Transforming Education Summit.

7. Statement by Minister Joly on protests in Iran

   The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement on the events unfolding in Iran

8. Statement on Iran’s malicious cyber activity affecting Albania

   “Canada strongly condemns the malicious cyber activity that targeted Albania in July 2022. Canada joins its allies Albania, the United Kingdom and the United States in attributing this activity to Iran.’’

9. Minister Joly to hold media availability from New York City as part of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week 

   The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will hold a media availability from New York City, as part of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week.

10. Canada’s statement on sham referendums in Ukraine

    “Canada strongly condemns the sham referendums planned in occupied regions of Ukraine. These phony exercises with predetermined results will have zero legitimacy, and Canada will not recognize them. Borders will not change. Ukraine’s territory will remain Ukraine’s.”

11. Canada announces a $1.21-billion contribution to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and additional support to mitigate the impact of COVID-19

    The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed health systems, and lockdowns have disrupted health services worldwide. This has had a devastating impact on efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria. TB and malaria deaths have increased and progress on reducing HIV-related deaths has stalled. We need to redouble our efforts in fighting for all those we have not reached, in particular vulnerable women and girls, if we are to stay on course to achieve the goal of eliminating these diseases as epidemics by 2030.

12. Minister Joly to co-host Global Survivors Fund event on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence during 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City

    In collaboration with the Global Survivors Fund, The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will co-host an event on conflict-related sexual violence on September 22, in New York City. Minister Joly will be joined by Nadia Murad to open the event and discuss the importance of centering survivors in the pursuit of justice, including reparations.

13. Statement on International Day of Peace

    “In his 1957 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Lester B. Pearson said, ‘Of all our dreams today there is none more important—or so hard to realize—than that of peace in the world. May we never lose our faith in it or our resolve to do everything that can be done to convert it one day into reality.”

14. Announcement of new diplomatic appointments

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments: Lorraine Diguer, Sara Nicholls and Élise Racicot

15. Biographical notes

    Lorraine Diguer, Sara Nicholls, Élise Racicot

16. Minister Joly to attend 77th Session of United Nations General Assembly in New York City

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will attend the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, New York, alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. During her visit, Minister Joly will meet with international partners and allies to address crucial global challenges and to work with UN members to strengthen international peace and security.

17. Canada announces matching fund and additional international assistance for Pakistan

    Pakistan has experienced its worst flooding in recent history, and Canada will continue to be there to help the people of Pakistan by supporting the humanitarian response to the crisis, as well as longer-term development needs.

18. Canada contributing $2.5 million to UN-coordinated salvage operation of the FSO Safer

    Canada is deeply concerned by the imminent environmental risks and potential humanitarian impacts posed by the FSO Safer, a tanker anchored in the waters off Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The FSO Safer is a floating storage and offloading vessel which holds 1.1 million barrels of crude oil and is in an advanced state of decay, posing the risk of a major oil spill.

19. Parliamentary Secretary Oliphant travels to Argentina

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced today that the Honourable Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be in Argentina from September 6 to September 8.

20. Announcement of new diplomatic appointments

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments

21. Biographical notes

    Hall Law School, 1996; LLM, Columbia Law School, 2000) began her career as counsel with the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario in the Office of the Children’s Lawyer. She then worked for the UN Country Team in Liberia and Guyana, providing coordination, programming, legal services and support on human rights, governance, women, peace and security, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, and gender equality to the UN and host countries in both post-conflict and development contexts (2005 to 2008). She joined Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2009. At Headquarters, she worked in the Human Rights and Governance Policy Division (2009 to 2012), in the Oceans and Environmental Law Division (2012 to 2016) and as chief of staff to Canada’s ambassador for women, peace and security (2020 to 2021). She also served abroad as the legal adviser to Canada’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva (2016 to 2020). Most recently, she worked for the Canadian Human Rights Commission as the director of the Employment Equity Division (2021 to 2022).

22. Statement by Minister Joly on UN report on human rights situation in Xinjiang

    The release of this much-anticipated report was critical. The findings reflect the credible accounts of grave human rights violations taking place in Xinjiang. This report makes an important contribution to the mounting evidence of serious, systemic human rights abuses and violations occurring in Xinjiang.

23. Statement of the G7 Non-Proliferation Directors’ Group on nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

    “The G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group recalls the Statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers of August 10, 2022, in support of the IAEA´s efforts to promote nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

24. Canada announces $5 million in funding for humanitarian assistance in response to flooding in Pakistan

    Pakistan has experienced heavy monsoon rains and floods since mid-June, causing the deaths of over 1,000 people and affecting the lives of 33 million people across the country. To support the international response to this emergency, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today announced $5 million in funding for humanitarian assistance.

25. Statement by Minister Joly on Line 5 transit pipeline

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement: “More than ever, Canada is firmly committed to ensuring its energy and economic security, while taking important steps to fight climate change and protect the environment for future generations.

26. Joint Ministerial Statement Marking 5th Anniversary of Myanmar Military’s Attack Against Rohingya and Ensuing Crisis

    The following is the text of a joint statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union, and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the fifth anniversary of the Myanmar military’s attack against Rohingya.

27. Statement on Ukraine’s Independence Day

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, and the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, today issued the following statement: “Today, Canada joins people in Ukraine and Ukrainian communities around the world in marking the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.

28. Government of Canada invests in tourism sector in St. Anthony

    The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Member of Parliament for Long Range Mountains, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA, will make an announcement to boost St. Anthony’s tourism potential.

29. Minister Sajjan concludes trip to Lebanon and announces $5 million in international assistance for UN Women

    The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today finished his visit to Lebanon, which focused on gender equality, food security, climate change and recovery from crises.

30. Statement on World Humanitarian Day

    The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today issued the following statement:

31. Temporary ban on importation of handguns into Canada now in effect

    One Canadian killed or injured by gun violence is one too many. That is why the Government of Canada has a comprehensive plan to keep Canadians safe from gun violence and provide more resources into our communities.

32. Minister Joly speaks with Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Minister

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today spoke with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Foreign Affairs Minister of Pakistan. This call marked the first interaction between ministers.

33. Minister Sajjan concludes trip to Egypt and announces intention to contribute $10 million for climate-finance initiative

    The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, has concluded a visit to Egypt that focused on the environment, climate change and food security.

34. Statement from Minister Ng on U.S. Inflation Reduction Act

    Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, issued the following statement regarding passage of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act

35. Minister Sajjan announces new Refugee Education Council members on International Youth Day

    Canada is committed to empowering youth at home and around the world. Improving their access to education, amplifying their voices and engaging with them so they can influence decisions that directly affect them are key ways to ensure intergenerational solidarity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, which is the theme of this year’s International Youth Day.

36. Minister Sajjan announces $120-million sovereign loan offer and $25 million in international assistance on trip to Jordan

    The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today finished his first visit to Jordan as minister of international development.

37. Canada announces funding for projects in Jordan

    Canada has announced $25 million in development assistance funding for 5 projects in Jordan that is being distributed as follows

38. Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs on 30th anniversary of Canada-Azerbaijan diplomatic relations

    Today marks the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan, a relationship built upon warm people-to-people ties, including a vibrant Azerbaijani community, which forms an essential part of Canada’s diversity, prosperity and success.

39. Statement of the G7 Foreign Ministers in support of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s efforts to promote Nuclear Safety and Security at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine

    “We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, reiterate our strongest condemnation of the ongoing unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The Russian Federation must immediately withdraw its troops from within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and respect Ukraine’s territory and sovereignty.

40. Announcement of new diplomatic appointments

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments

41. Biographical notes

    David Da Silva (BA Joint Hons [Geography and Political Science], McGill University, 2000; MSc [Urban Geography], London School of Economics, 2001) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2002.

42. Statement on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, and the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, today issued the following statement on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous peoples.

43. Canada puts in place temporary handgun import ban

    Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities. That is why the Government of Canada has a comprehensive plan that gets firearms off our streets and more resources into our communities. A central part of this is the recently introduced Bill C-21. The bill addresses the alarming role of guns in gender based violence, gets tough on organized crime and most significantly introduces a national freeze on the sale, transfer and ownership of handguns, anywhere in Canada.

44. Announcement of new diplomatic appointments

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments:

45. Biographical notes

    Biographical notes

46. Minister Joly meets with German counterpart

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today met with Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, in Montréal, Quebec.

47. G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Preserving Peace and Stability Across the Taiwan Strait

    “We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, reaffirm our shared commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and beyond.

48. Minister Joly to participate in Fireside Chat with German counterpart in Montreal

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs will meet with her counterpart from Germany, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, on August 3, in Montreal.

49. G7 Foreign Ministers’ statement on energy security

    “We, the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, are steadfast in our condemnation of Russia’s brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. We condemn and will not recognize Russia’s continued attempts to redraw borders by force. This constitutes a blatant violation of international law, in particular, a serious breach of the Charter of the United Nations, and seriously undermines the international rules-based system. We reiterate our demand that Russia put an end to this war of choice, immediately and unconditionally cease all hostilities, and withdraw its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

50. Minister Joly to hold press conference with her German counterpart in Montreal

    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs will hold a press conference with her counterpart from Germany, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, on August 3, in Montreal. This media availability will take place during the German Federal Foreign Minister’s visit to Canada. The ministers will discuss the special role of Canada and Germany, as close partners in the vital transatlantic alliance, in confronting the growing geopolitical instability. Key issues will include supporting Ukraine and defending global and regional peace and security, and dealing with the implications of Russia’s unjustifiable war of aggression, including energy and food security crises.