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A
career foreign service officer, Colin Robertson was president of the
Historica Foundation of Canada from 2006-2007. As president, Robertson
was responsible for the integration of the Encounters with Canada high
school youth program into Historica. Under his leadership the
Foundation created a ‘Friends of Historica’ network across Canada,
opened new internet-based portals- the youth-based fyicanada.ca
and access.ca, of curriculum related material on Canadian
history for educators, and broadened Historica partnerships across
Canada.
Robertson served as Minister (Advocacy) and Head of the Washington
Secretariat within the Canadian Embassy from 2004-2006 and as the
Consul General in Los Angeles from 2000-2004. The territory for which
he was responsible included California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and
Hawaii. Trade relations significantly increased during his tour of
duty.
In Ottawa he held positions in the United States (1985-6) and UN
Bureaux (1977-78), the Policy Planning Secretariat (1992-3), Media
Relations Office (1978), Federal-Provincial Relations during the
constitutional patriation process(1981-2) and Foreign Policy
Communications divisions (1993-4). He was Legislative Assistant to the
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for External Affairs,
Honourable Allan J. MacEachen (1982-84). He managed the legislative
effort that led to the creation of the Asia-Pacific Foundation and the
Canadian Institute for International Peace and Security.
He
served as Manager, Corporate Relations and Public Affairs for
Petro-Canada International Assistance Corporation (1984-5) returning
to Foreign Affairs when the agency was abolished as part of the
Nielsen program review.
From 1985 to 1987, he was a member of the team that negotiated the
Free Trade Agreement with the United States. In 1993 he was
Coordinator, NAFTA Implementing Legislation, the biggest omnibus
legislation to pass through the Canadian parliament. He was the first
Canadian NAFTA Communications Co-ordinator (1998-2000) and led the
development of the tri-national NAFTA Works campaign and
website.
He
served (Third Committee, Human Rights) with the Permanent Mission of
Canada to the United Nations in 1977 and at the Consulate General in
New York from 1978 to 1981 where he was responsible for congressional
relations and outreach to universities. From 1987 to 1992, Robertson
served as Counsellor and Consul in Hong Kong with accreditation to the
People’s Republic of China as well as to Macao.
As
Director General of Public Affairs at the Department of Citizenship
and Immigration (1994-6) he worked on the launch of the new
Immigration policy and led the project which created the Modular
Public Education Tools: Teacher’s Guide, Stardate 2232 CD ROM
and hour-long docu-drama Land of Hope.
As
Executive Director of Public Affairs at the Treasury Board Secretariat
(1996-98) he was part of the ‘Getting Government Right’ team that
focused on more effective parliamentary oversight, improved
comptrollership, the streamlining of regulation and the renewal of the
public service.
Appointed Senior Advisor for Trade Communications to the Deputy
Minister of Trade (1998) he prepared the departmental business plan.
Named Director General of Communications (1998-2000) at the Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, he directed communications
strategy during the Kosovo crisis, WTO Seattle conference, and Y2K.
Active in community affairs he served on executive of the Manor Park
Community Association and on the executive of the New York and Ottawa
branches of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs. He is a
member of the Pacific Council for International Policy. He was a
Senior Fellow (2002-04) at the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social
Research. The Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association named him
2004 ‘Friend of the Industry’. At 2004 Homecoming, he was given the
‘Distinguished Alumnus’ award by the University of Manitoba. In March,
2005, he was presented with the Alberta Centennial Medal by Premier
Ralph Klein and then Intergovernmental Affairs Minister (and now
Premier) Ed Stelmach; in May, 2006, he was presented the Saskatchewan
Centennial Medal by Lt. Gov. Lynda Haverstock.
Robertson is a former president of the Professional Association of
Foreign Service Officers and editor of the award-winning bout de
papier, Canada’s magazine of diplomacy and foreign service. He is
co-author of Decision at Midnight: an inside account of the Free
Trade Negotiations (UBC, 1996), finalist in the National Business
Book Award. While in Hong Kong, he reviewed ‘thrillers’ for the
South China Morning Post. He swims, runs slowly, reads voraciously
and plays tennis badly.
Robertson is married to Maureen Boyd and they have three children,
Allison, Sean, and Conor.
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