Global Affairs Canada Podcasts – GAC Files

Check out the latest #GACFiles podcast with Sandra McCardell and Sarah Taylor, Global Affairs Canada’s incoming and outgoing champion for women. They chat about their roles as champion, initiatives changing the face of GAC and gender equity progress in the department.

January 09, 2019 - 16:52 min.
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On this special episode of the GAC Files, 3 dynamic champions for the GAC Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign chat with host John Hannaford about why they’ve taken on this year’s campaign challenge. Don’t miss a minute of the podcast as Caroline Leclerc, Myriam Pineault-Latreille and Harkiran Rajasansi share personal stories, encourage us to lift up our communities and remind us how each donation, small or large, has a positive impact on the lives of people in need.

November 27, 2019 - 18:09 min.
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Join the latest #GACFiles conversation with host John Hannaford, Deputy Minister of International Trade, and special guest Marta Morgan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Get to know Marta as she shares some of her hobbies, talks about her go-to podcasts and provides insight into how she built her career by pursuing interesting challenges. Hear what she thinks about leading the department in a complex world environment, the expertise of GAC employees and the unique role senior leaders play in shifting the culture for a greater understanding of mental health and workplace well-being.

November 6, 2019 - 20:11 min.
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This week on the #GACFiles, the tables are turned as representatives of the Young Professionals Network (YPN), Cassandra Morin and Brandon Cove ask host John Hannaford to talk about his illustrious career in the public service and how he maintains a healthy work-life balance. John highlights the importance of mentorship and encourages young professionals not to limit their career opportunities.

August 12, 2019 - 29:25 min.
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On the latest #GACFiles, host John Hannaford engages with Manon Dumas from Special Projects about Global Affairs Canada’s Dialogue Series on Uncomfortable Topics. They chat about the importance of working together as a community to address questions of workplace harassment and other sources of tension. They also talk about how to strengthen our processes, tools and culture so that we can make GAC a better place to work.

July 12, 2019 - 34:58 min.
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Check out GAC Files latest episode as our new host John Hannaford, Deputy Minister of International Trade, has a candid discussion on mental health with special guests Heather DiPenta, Director of Values and Ethics and Workplace Well-Being, and Louise Blais, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN in New York. Find out more about Louise’s personal journey and challenges with mental illness, the importance of destigmatizing, reaching out, supporting each other and speaking up about what mental health really is.

May 08, 2019 - 34:50 min.
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On the latest GAC Files podcast, Antoine Pouliot, Strategist, Advocacy and Cultural Diplomacy, talks about how his previous work in the private and non-profit sectors led him to his current role promoting Canadian art and culture through our missions abroad.

March 11, 2019 - 32:33 min.
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On this episode of the GAC Files, Aleena Esmail, Andreia Santos, Poya Saffari and Roxanne Hamel, young Global Affairs Canada public servants, discuss Canada Beyond 150: Policy for a Diverse and Inclusive Future, which is an incredible opportunity to contribute to complex issues using foresight, design thinking and co-creation. Find out more about their contributions—providing unique ideas and diverse solutions, working cross-functionally and collaborating to tackle issues and create policies that serve Canadians.

February 19, 2019 - 36:18 min.
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Join the latest conversation, with guest Jean-Dominique Ieraci, Deputy Head of Mission and Minister Counsellor (Trade), as he chats about trade diplomacy, the Trade Commissioner Service and its evolution, as well as the importance of having the right manager and mentor to guide you with frank conversations throughout your career.

February 12, 2019 - 33:28 min.
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Host David Morrison talks with Alison LeClaire, Senior Arctic Officer and Director General for Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, about her experiences during her postings in South Africa and Latin America, her perspective as a woman working in foreign service while raising a family and her new challenge in one of the department’s most interesting bureaus.

December 24, 2018 - 28:43 min.
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On the latest episode of the GAC Files, host David Morrison has a fascinating exchange with guest Giuseppe Basile about Global Affairs Canada’s consular affairs, the Hague Convention, the heart-wrenching difficulties of helping Canadian children and families in crisis abroad and finding a healthy work/life balance.

December 5, 2018 - 29:50 min.
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Host David Morrison talks with Marcy Grossman, Consul General, on the importance of trade and Canada’s economic ties with the United States, how all politics is local, having ambition and her remarkable leadership of locally engaged staff.

November 26, 2018 - 40:04 min.
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Host David Morrison chats with Paul Maddison, Canada’s High Commissioner in Australia, about trading a naval career for diplomacy and how he successfully made the transition.

November 7, 2018 - 31:06 min.
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This week in the GAC Files, host David Morrison talks with guest Deborah Chatsis, who shares her experiences as an Indigenous woman in her postings abroad, her fascinating career and her work advocating for a foreign service that is reflective of Canada and its demographics.

October 26, 2018 - 27:30 min.
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This week on the GAC Files, host David Morrison exchanges views with former deputy minister Peter Boehm, in front of a live Global Affairs Canada audience, as he reflects on a 37-year career with the department. Find out more about Peter’s legacy of leadership and inspiration to the Global Affairs Canada family, destigmatizing mental health and offering his impressions of the evolution of our department.

October 11, 2018 - 23:36 min.
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Follow the exchange between David Morrison and his latest GAC Files guest, Rasha Al-Katta, as they discuss being a millennial Global Affairs Canada person and her vision of life, including inclusiveness, focusing on youth and the positive, working with refugees and being a volunteer guru.

October 3, 2018 - 31:37 min.
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Host David Morrison chats with Myriam Pineault-Latreille and Deena Allam about a variety of topics, including being young professionals at Global Affairs Canada, the Next Gen Youth network and their outlook on the department, including their views on the importance of diversity.

September 21, 2018 - 31:29 min.
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Host David Morrison talks with Shauna Hemingway about how following her passions led her to great opportunities in communications, trade and ultimately a career in foreign service as head of mission to the Dominican Republic.

August 30, 2018 - 29:09 min.
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Host David Morrison chats with Kumar Gupta about how his training as an engineer led to a career in international development and then to becoming a head of mission. He also chats about his interest in Africa.

August 21, 2018 - 24:16 min.
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Host David Morrison gets together with David Da Silva who talks about starting out in Canada’s foreign service, the importance of putting people first and being co-chair of GAC’s LGBTQ+ employee network.

August 16, 2018 - 33:44 min.
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Host David Morrison interviews Sacha Levasseur-Rivard  about his career path from journalist to foreign service officer in Canada’s diplomatic corps. Sacha speaks about the importance of mentorship, giving young people a voice and the value of humility.

August 2, 2018 - 34:29 min.
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Host David Morrison talks with Canada’s Executive Coordinator for Syria Sebastien Beaulieu about the challenges of raising children in a household where both parents are career diplomats, balancing teaching with diplomacy and promoting diversity and inclusion in the Middle East.

July 24, 2018 - 30:03 min.
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Host David Morrison talks with Jennifer Kleniewski, a self-described foreign service brat, about growing up abroad and then finding her own career path with the department’s Critical Incidents Task Force. It’s the team that coordinates Canada’s whole of government response to critical incidents, such as hostage takings and kidnappings.

July 16, 2018 - 32:31 min.
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Host David Morrison interviews Heather DiPenta about how her start in the public service as an ergonomist led to her current position as Global Affairs Canada’s lead on values and ethics, her thoughts on mental health and why addressing harassment in the workplace is so important.

July 9, 2018 - 36:55 min.
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Host David Morrison gets together with Craig Kowalik, Team Leader of the Missions of the Future Project, to  chat about his time in Venezuela and being a diplomat there, serving the Prince of Wales and his interest in using international development to promote democracy.

June 28, 2018 - 29:07 min.
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Host David Morrison chats with Patricia Penã, Canada’s Ambassador to Chile, about being raised by immigrant parents in Toronto, her years with the United Kingdom Electoral Commission and her interest in democratic governance and human rights issues. You may notice a small issue with the audio on the podcast (due to a technical difficulty). But rest assured the conversation is as lively as always.

June 20, 2018 - 28:22 min.
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Host David Morrison talks with Janice Charette, Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, about her earlier job as head of the public service, mental health, and spotting talent.

June 13, 2018 - 36:42 min.
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Host David Morrison interviews Francis Trudel about his journey from his career with Canada’s National Defence to taking the helm of Global Affairs Canada’s Human Resources Branch.

June 5, 2018 - 36:18 min.
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Host David Morrison gets together with Peter M. Boehm, Deputy Minister for the G7 Summit and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister, to chat about how he got started in the foreign service, balancing a career while raising a special needs child and the challenges of being Canada’s G7 sherpa.

May 28, 2018 - 28:48 min.
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Host David Morrison chats with Stefanie Beck, Assistant Deputy Minister of Europe, Arctic, Middle East and Maghreb Branch, Global Affairs Canada, about becoming a head of mission at the age of 34, balancing work and life as a single mother, her decision to leave Global Affairs Canada and then come back.

May 18, 2018 - 29:43 min.
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Host David Morrison explains what the GAC Files is all about.

June 4, 2018 - 13:25 min.
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