Global Affairs Canada throughout the decades: New Guys with New Ideas: 1968 to 1984 (English, HTML)

Global Affairs Canada throughout the decades: New Guys with New Ideas: 1968 to 1984: English HTML file. From Global Affairs Canada, updated Oct 2026. View metadata, licence and the direct download on CanQuery.

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2026-10-26

Canada owes much to its diplomats. For the first few decades after Confederation, Great Britain handled Canada’s international responsibilities, but the new country soon needed its own foreign ministry. On June 1, 1909, the new Department of External Affairs opened its doors with a handful of employees in a poky office above a barbershop in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. As Canada shed its colonial legacy, the department grew apace, periodically transforming itself to reflect the changing international context and the country’s evolving foreign-policy priorities. By the 1930s, Canada had diplomatic posts in London, Paris, Washington, Tokyo and Geneva. Following the Second World War, Canada’s reach became increasingly global, reflecting its postwar commitment to an active internationalism.

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