Ottawa silent on replacements as special ambassador positions open up

Catherine Stewart, Canada’s ambassador for climate change, left her post in March. Her term was set to expire at the end of this month.

Also in March, and just days after Prime Minister Mark Carney took office, Jacqueline O’Neill’s term as Canada’s ambassador for women, peace and security ended on schedule.

Both posts were created to advance Canadian values abroad.

The federal government also announced in December the creation of an Arctic ambassadorship. The government has not said when that post might be filled.

Canadian LGBTQ+ groups have called for years for Ottawa to appoint a special ambassador for LGBTQ+ rights, similar to the one France has and the U.S. had under the previous Biden administration.

Carney’s office did not respond when asked if he would appoint an LGBTQ+ envoy, maintain the postings that have lapsed or appoint an Arctic ambassador.

Questions on envoys come as the government asks Global Affairs Canada to find budget cuts of 7.5 per cent starting next spring — part of the government’s efforts to meet defence spending targets.

Global Affairs Canada said it’s up to cabinet to decide whether Ottawa will appoint an envoy for women, peace and security, or WPS.

Department spokeswoman Brittany Fletcher said that the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security “continues to be co-ordinated by Global Affairs Canada, and is supported by nine other federal partner departments and agencies.”

WPS diplomacy recognizes the disproportionate impact of war on women and girls and promotes their leadership in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. Canada has been a champion of WPS since the Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.

Canada appointed a WPS ambassador in 2019, using a strategic framework that noted Ottawa had “developed a reputation for leadership” in the field while acknowledging that the concept had faced “powerful backlash” abroad.

“Some long-standing champions of WPS are faltering in their support, and opponents are exploiting their disunity,” the framework noted.

Katrina Leclerc, chair of the Women, Peace and Security Network-Canada, said it’s “deeply concerning” that the ambassador’s post has been vacant for four months.

Leclerc told The Canadian Press it’s important to have a point person to co-ordinate the work of civil society, government departments and international colleagues.

“While a policy or national action plan is important, without institutional leadership like the ambassador, implementation risks becoming fragmented or deprioritized,” she said in an email.

“This is not merely a symbolic role — it provides the necessary structure and strategy to embed WPS priorities across Canada’s diplomacy, development and defence portfolios.”

She noted that Carney initially scrapped a ministerial role dedicated to gender equality before restoring it in response to public blowback.

“At a time when we’re witnessing democratic backsliding, conflict and gender-based violence globally, Canada’s absence of a WPS ambassador risks signalling a step back from its feminist commitments,” she wrote.

Environment Canada said it’s up to the cabinet to decide whether to appoint a new ambassador for climate change, on the advice of the foreign affairs and environment ministers.

Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat and vice-president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said he expects the various appointments to be made this fall.

“We don’t have to make these appointments, really, until September,” he said. “I wouldn’t read anything into the fact that these positions have lapsed.”

Robertson said Carney has a keen interest in foreign policy and is probably looking at people who would be good ambassadors, including people from outside the foreign service.

Carney likely is looking for envoys with the political savvy to manage delicate relations with the U.S. while advancing Canada’s distinct interests, Robertson said.

“He’s probably got several lists in front of him and he’s mulling them over,” he said. “He moves quickly, but he also spends attention.”

The federal government says it does intend to name a new special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. Deborah Lyons retired from the role three months before the scheduled end of her term.

Canadian Heritage department spokeswoman Ines Akué said that “a new special envoy will be appointed in due course.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.