Biographical note

Backgrounder

Peter MacArthur (BA Joint Hons [Political Science and History], McGill University, 1981) joined the Department of External Affairs in 1982. At Headquarters, he worked as deputy director, economic relations with Russia; deputy director, policy and strategic planning; director, Canadian Trade Commissioner Service overseas operations; and director, China and Mongolia. He also served as director general, global business opportunities, and in 2012 became director general of the South, Southeast Asia and Oceania Bureau. Overseas, he served as trade commissioner in Moscow and New Delhi and as consul in Mumbai. He was seconded to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra, where he worked in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - G7 section and the East Asia Analytical Unit. He also served as trade commissioner in Hong Kong, minister (commercial) and senior trade commissioner in Tokyo from 2004 to 2009 and Canada’s senior official at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum from 2015 to 2018. Most recently, he served as ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste from 2016 to 2019.

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