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.
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.