August 31, 2007
No. 122
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the
following diplomatic appointments:
Caroline Chrétien becomes High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Ronald Davidson becomes Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with
concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Yemen and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Robert Desjardins becomes Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines.
Dale Eisler becomes Consul General in Denver (United States of America).
Sigrid Johnson becomes Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
I. David Marshall becomes High Commissioner to Barbados, with concurrent
accreditation to the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda,
Saint Lucia, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Malcolm McKechnie becomes Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, with concurrent
accreditation to the Principality of Andorra.
Guillermo Rishchynski becomes Ambassador to the United Mexican States.
Renata Elisabeth Wielgosz becomes Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic.
Guillermo Rishchynski becomes Ambassador to the United Mexican States.
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Biographical notes on the appointees are attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Caroline Chrétien (LLB, Université de Montréal, 1989) served as Policy Analyst,
Quebec and Consitutional Affairs, with the National Liberal Caucus Research Bureau of
the House of Commons; as Special Assistant to the Leader, Quebec and Constitutional
Affairs, with the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition; and as Senior Special
Assistant to the Prime Minister prior to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade in 2001. Since joining, she has served as Deputy Chief of Protocol
and Director, Diplomatic Corps Services; and Director, Korea and Oceania Division.
She is currently Director, East Asia Division II. Caroline Chrétien succeeds
David Angell.
Ronald Davidson (BSc [Agriculture], McGill University, 1971) joined Agriculture
Canada in 1971 and held several positions in that department, including that of
Associate Director, International Market Development Division, from 1983 to 1987.
Following assignments in Washington and Paris, he transferred to the Department of
External Affairs and International Trade in 1991. From 1994 to 1999, he served in
Tokyo. In Ottawa, he held positions in the Office of North America Free Trade
Negotiations, the Trade Rules Division, and the Technical Barriers and Regulations
Division. He was named Deputy Director of the South America Division in 1999, and
became its Director in 2000. In 2002 he was appointed Consul General in Sao Paulo,
Brazil. He currently serves as Director General, Trade Commissioner
Service—Initiatives. He and his wife, Marcia Foster, have six children. Mr. Davidson
succeeds Roderick Bell.
Robert Desjardins (BA [Political Science], Université Laval, 1975) joined the
Department of External Affairs in 1978, and has since served abroad in Havana, Hong
Kong, Beijing and Bangkok. At headquarters, he has served as Desk Officer, Consular
Policy; Assignment Officer, Personnel; Deputy Director, Economic Relations with
Developing Countries; Deputy Director, International Economic Relations; Executive
Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Deputy Director, HR Strategy
Implementation Secretariat; Director, HR Policy; and Director, Japan Division. He is
currently Director General, Consular Affairs Bureau. Mr. Desjardins and his wife,
Beverley Lum, have a son, Maximilian, and a daughter Jasmine. Robert Desjardins
succeeds Peter Sutherland.
Dale Eisler (BA [Political Science], University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, 1970;
MA [Political Science], Vermont College, Union Institute & University, 2004). Prior to
joining the Public Service, Mr. Eisler had an extensive career in journalism, including
daily newspapers, weekly newsmagazines, syndicated opinion columns, radio and
television. He was also a sessional lecturer in journalism at the University of Regina. In
addition, Mr. Eisler was involved, at an ownership level, in private business for 13 years.
In 1998, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister for Consultations and
Communications with the Department of Finance, and he joined the Privy Council
Office as Assistant Secretary to Cabinet (Communications and Consultations) in 2004.
In 2006, Mr. Eisler was the recipient of the Saskatchewan Commemorative Medal in
recognition of his contributions to the province and society. He is the author of two
books, most recently False Expectations: Politics and the Pursuit of the Saskatchewan
Myth, published by the University of Regina in 2006. Dale Eisler succeeds
Michael Fine.
Sigrid Johnson (BSc [Geography], Trent University, 1983) joined the Department of
External Affairs and International Trade in 1990 and has served abroad in Stockholm,
Abidjan and Washington. At headquarters she has served on the South Africa Task
Force; in the Environmental Affairs Division; in the Bureau for Central and Eastern
Europe; in the Resource Planning and Management Secretariat; and in the Policy
Planning Secretariat. From 2001 to 2004, she served as Foreign Policy Advisor,
Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat, with the Privy Council Office. Prior to joining
External Affairs, Ms. Johnson worked as a Parks and Wildlife officer in Malawi for three
years, and as an instructor in the Environmental Technology Program of Nunavut Arctic
College, based in Iqaluit. She is currently Counsellor and Head of Section, Environment
and Fisheries, at the Embassy of Canada to the United States of America, in
Washington. Ms. Johnson is married to Donald McMaster. They have three children,
Alex, Andrew and Erica. Sigrid Johnson succeeds Jean-Pierre Bolduc.
I. David Marshall (Certified General Accountant of Ontario—CGA) served in various
senior executive roles from 1977 to 1993, consecutively as Assistant Auditor General
for Canada; Assistant Deputy Minister of Information Technology at Revenue Canada,
Customs and Excise; and Assistant Deputy Minister of Information Technology at
Employment and Immigration Canada. From 1993 to 2002, Mr. Marshall served in the
private sector as Executive Vice-President and Chief Information Officer, Unitel
Communications Inc.; Executive Vice-President and Chief Information Officer,
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce; Executive Vice-President and Managing
Director, Bankers Trust New York Corporation; and Vice-Chairman, Retail Products
Technology and Operations, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. In 2003, he
re-entered public service to act as Deputy Minister of Public Works and Government
Services Canada. He left Public Works in May of 2007 and was subsequently
appointed Senior Advisor to the Privy Council Office. David Marshall succeeds
Michael Welsh.
Malcolm McKechnie (BA, Honours, York University, 1967; graduate studies, University
of Toulouse, 1970-71) joined the Department of External Affairs in 1971 and served
abroad in Mexico; Paris; New York; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Rome, where he
was Minister-Counsellor from 1998 to 2002; and Atlanta, where he was Consul General
from 2003 to 2005. In 1976-77, he attended l’École nationale d’administration in Paris.
In Ottawa, he held a number of positions including Director, United States
Transboundary Division; Director, Media Relations Division; and Director General,
Communications Bureau. Since 2005 he has served as Chief of Protocol. Malcolm
McKechnie succeeds Marc Lortie.
Guillermo Rishchynski (BA, McGill University, 1975) was Regional Marketing
Manager, Latin America, for Interimco International before joining the Department of
External Affairs and International Trade in 1983. Since joining the department as an
Assistant Trade Commissioner, he has served abroad in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo,
Amman, Melbourne, Jakarta, Chicago and, from 1999 to 2002, as Canada’s
Ambassador to Colombia, in Bogota. In Ottawa, he has served the department as
Deputy Director, Latin America and Caribbean Trade Division, and Director, Team
Canada Task Force. Mr. Rishchynski joined the Canadian International Development
Agency in 2003, serving as Vice-President of the Americas Branch, until his
appointment as Ambassador to Brazil in 2005. He is married to Jeanette Portillo Tinoco
and they have two children. Guillermo Rishchynski succeeds Gaëtan Lavertu.
Renata Elisabeth Wielgosz (PhD [Political Science] York University, 1985) joined the
Department of External Affairs in August of 1982 as a career Foreign Service officer in
the political/economic stream and has since served abroad at the Canadian Mission to
the United Nations in New York; in New Delhi; in Prague; and at the Canadian Mission
to the Organization of American States in Washington. In Ottawa, Ms. Wielgosz has
served as Desk Officer first for the U.S.S.R., and subsequently for Poland,
Czechoslovakia and East Germany in the U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe Relations
Division; as Departmental Officer in the Office of the Minister of External Affairs (twice);
as Departmental Officer in the Management Secretariat; as Desk Officer for Multilateral
Energy Issues in the Energy and Environment Division; as Deputy Director of the South
America and Inter-American Affairs Division; and as Director of the Inter-American
Affairs Division. She currently serves as Ambassador to Venezuela, in Caracas. Renata
Elisabeth Wielgosz succeeds Philip Somerville.