About the Department
The mandate of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada is to manage Canada's diplomatic and consular relations and to encourage the country's international trade. This includes:
- ensuring that Canada's foreign policy reflects true Canadian values and advances Canada's national interests;
- strengthening rules-based trading arrangements and expanding free and fair market access at bilateral, regional and global levels; and
- working with a range of partners inside and outside government to achieve increased economic opportunity and enhanced security for Canada and for Canadians at home and abroad.
You can access the entire formal mandate of the department in the
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Act (R.S. 1985, c. E-22).
Our Priorities: 2013-14
Learn more about our priorities and other planning and performance reporting work.
Learn More About:
Our Organization
- Careers
- Careers in the federal public service
- Government Electronic Directory Services (GEDS)
- International Experience Canada
- Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries
- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (USS), Morris Rosenberg
- Deputy Minister of International Trade (DMT), Simon Kennedy
Our Services and Resources
Our Services and Resources Classified by Sector:
- Canadian Foreign Service Institute
- Canadian Trade Commissioner Service
- Canadian offices abroad
- Export and Import Controls
- Acts and Regulations
- Innovation, Science and Technology
- Travel Reports and Warnings
- Passport
- Political Economic Services
- Protocol
- Trade Negotiations and Agreements
Our History
Canada's Department of External Affairs, known today as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, was founded in 1909. Through the years, the department has adapted to the changing Canadian and international contexts. For more than a century, the men and women of the department have worked to create a mature and sophisticated foreign service capable, in the words of Canada's most well-known diplomat, of "punching above our weight."
To find out more information about the history on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, visit The Department in History.
Our Corporate Management and Reporting
- Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP)
- Acts & Regulations
- Administrative Review into the Security Incident (2008-07-16)
- Financial Statements
- Important Notices
- Info Source
- Inspection and Evaluation
- Internal Audit
- Management Accountability Framework (MAF)
- Planning and Performance
- Proactive Disclosure
- Public Opinion Research
- Sustainable Development
- Strategic Priorities and Objectives: 2011-2012 Report on Plans and Priorities (PDF version, 1.88 MB) *
- Transfer Payment Programs: Summary of the three year plan for transfer payment programs 2010-2011
* If you require a plug-in or a third-party software to view this file, please visit the alternative formats section of our help page.
