Biographical notes

Louis-Martin Aumais (LLB, University of Montréal, 1996; LLM, University of Cambridge, 1999) began his public service career in 1997 as law clerk to Justice Charles D. Gonthier of the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 1997. He joined the foreign service at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1999. At Headquarters, he has had assignments in the Legal Affairs Bureau and served in the Office of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was director of the Weapons Threat Reduction Program Division (2016 to 2018) and the Southern and Eastern Africa Bilateral Relations Division (2018 to 2020); executive director of the Criminal, Security and Diplomatic Law Division (2020 to 2023); and director general and deputy legal adviser of the Public International Law Bureau (2023 to 2024). His overseas postings have included Beijing (2007 to 2010) and Canberra (2000 to 2003 and 2012 to 2016). Most recently, since 2024, he was legal adviser and director general of the International Law Bureau, as well as agent for Canada at the International Court of Justice.

Jeff David (HBA, Ivey Business School, Western University, 2002) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2003. At Headquarters, he was the senior adviser to the assistant deputy minister of the International Platform Branch, the director of global consular case management, the director of consular strategy and the senior departmental adviser in the Office of the Minister of International Trade. Overseas, he has served once in Afghanistan and 3 times in China: the last time there, he was the consul general in Chongqing (2017 to 2021). Most recently, he was a special adviser in the Office of the Deputy Minister for International Trade.

Ghislain Robichaud (BSocSC [Political Science], University of Ottawa,1996; BSocSC [Economics], University of Ottawa, 1996) joined Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2007 after serving in international relations roles at Natural Resources Canada and as a parliamentary page in the Canadian House of Commons. At Headquarters, he has worked in the European Union Division, Technical Barriers and Regulation Division and China Division, as well in the Invest in Canada Branch as deputy director. Overseas, he has served as counsellor and senior trade commissioner in Egypt and as science and technology counsellor in Germany. Most recently, he was regional director of the Trade Commissioner Service’s Quebec and Nunavut Regional Office.

Allison Stewart (BSS Hons [Sociology, Linguistics], University of Ottawa, 1993; JD, University of Toronto, 2002) practised corporate law in Toronto and in Tokyo, served as a Japanese interpreter in Canada, taught high school in Japan and was a program counsellor in a social services agency in the Greater Toronto Area before joining Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2005. At Headquarters, she served in various positions in the Legal Branch, including deputy director for oceans law, as deputy director for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, and in export financing policy. Her overseas assignments included Athens (from 2010 to 2014) as the head of the Political, Economic and Public Affairs Section and Islamabad (from 2014 to 2016) as senior trade commissioner. She was posted to Phnom Penh (from 2017 to 2020) as head of the office and chargé d’affaires ad interim. In 2022, she was appointed to her most recent position, head of mission in Myanmar.