About Global Canada
Canadian prosperity depends upon a prosperous, well-governed world. Over the last 75 years, Canada has played an important—at times critical—global role. But the world has become more complex and crowded, and Canada’s ability to have global influence cannot be taken for granted. Global Canada believes it is in Canada’s strategic interest to increase its global impact.
Three ways we support Canadian global leadership
Community
Curating an exciting community of “Global Canadians” — Canadians in leadership positions at home and abroad who are passionate about Canada’s global role. Global Canada provides a rallying point for extraordinary Canadians making a positive difference in the world.
Conceptualizing
Many of the terms once used to describe Canada’s international engagement (“honest broker”, “middle power”) date from the 1950s. Global Canada is committed to rigorous, fact-based, strategic diagnostics of Canada’s global engagement: why, where, and how to maximize our impact.
Catalyzing
Working with other stakeholders to advance a limited number of issues where Canada has the strategic interest and capability to make a world-scale difference — proving in practice the power of a positive whole-of-Canada approach.
Complementary by design
Global Canada aims to complement, not compete with, existing institutions — a public-policy “smart-grid” linking together the considerable intellectual and implementation power that already exists in the country. It envisions a constructive, complementary relationship with government: not-for-profit, multistakeholder, consistently non-partisan, and it does not seek government funding.
Board of Directors
The team
Robert Greenhill
Robert Greenhill has combined a career in international business with a commitment to public policy. He is Executive Chair of Global Canada and Professor of Practice at McGill University’s Institute for the Study of International Development.
Previously: Director General and Chief Business Officer at the World Economic Forum; Deputy Minister and President of CIDA; President and COO of the International Group of Bombardier Inc. He began his career at McKinsey & Company.
Nathalie Hamel
Community Coordinator with over twenty years’ experience in project management and business administration, including work as a teacher and translator. She holds a BA and an M.Ed. from the Université de Montréal.
Collaborators
Alison Van Rooy
Alison Van Rooy is a strategic planning consultant and public policy expert with more than 30 years of experience. As founder of Van Rooy Strategies, she has advised universities, schools, cultural organizations, charities and international institutions in Canada and abroad. Previously, Alison held senior policy roles with Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Canada School of Public Service, following six years as a researcher at the North-South Institute. A Rhodes Scholar, she holds a doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford and is a proud graduate of Trent University, the LB Pearson United World College of the Pacific, and Canada World Youth.
Louise Holt
Louise Holt is a senior public policy and international development leader who advises organizations and executives on strategy, partnerships and leadership. She brings more than 30 years of experience navigating complex public policy challenges and building high-impact partnerships. As a Director General at Global Affairs Canada, Louise held positions overseeing policy and program portfolios in the areas of health, education and gender equality, and leading the Government of Canada's $300 million Partnership for Gender Equality. Earlier in her career, she served as Counsellor and Director of Development at Canada's missions in Nairobi and Pretoria. Louise holds a Master's in Public Administration from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Economics and Comparative Development Studies from Trent University, with studies in France and the Netherlands through the Erasmus program.
Yash Paliwal
Yash Paliwal is a technologist who helps public sector and civic organizations build and maintain the web platforms that bring their policy, research and advocacy work to their stakeholders. He has spent the past decade building and growing startups — co-founding FamSchool, an angel-backed AI education platform, scaling go-to-market and sales at Silicon Valley technology companies, and running a consulting firm focused on the public and civic sectors — with hands-on experience spanning user experience, software and growth. Drawing on his work with public sector organizations across advocacy, research, NGOs and more, Yash translates project needs into effective digital experiences, with a longstanding interest in the intersection of technology and public benefit.
Funding
Global Canada does not seek government funding and is financed by support from foundations, corporations and individuals — for the institution, an initiative, or an event. No supporter has editorial control over Global Canada activities or publications.