The Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. (french: Ambassade du Canada à Washington, D.C.) is
Canada's main
diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
to the United States. The embassy building designed by
Arthur Erickson
Arthur Charles Erickson (June 14, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Engineering at the University of British Columbia and, in 1950, received his B.Arch. (Honours) from McGill University. He is known ...
and opened in 1989 is located at 501
Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
, between the
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill at ...
and the
White House, just north of the
National Gallery of Art. In addition to its diplomatic role, the embassy provides consular services for
Delaware, Washington, D.C.,
Maryland,
Virginia, and
West Virginia.
It also hosts a Trade Commissioner Service office, which has Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia as its responsibilities.
History
The Embassy of Canada was originally located at 1746
Massachusetts Avenue NW on
Embassy Row
Embassy Row is the informal name for a section of Northwest Washington, D.C. with a high concentration of embassies, diplomatic missions, and diplomatic residences. It spans Massachusetts Avenue N.W. between 18th and 35th street, bounded by ...
, in a house that had been purchased in 1927 from the widow of Clarence Moore, a financier who died in the
sinking of the RMS ''Titanic''. The location subsequently became the
Embassy of Uzbekistan.
By 1969, the chancery had spread across three buildings and could not accommodate additional staff. At the same time, the federally chartered Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation was looking to revitalize the avenue. In 1978, the Canadian government purchased a vacant lot on Pennsylvania Avenue NW for $5 million. The site had been a
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
dealership (built in 1916 by Irwin and Leighton as Ford Service Building) and a public library. The six floor building was demolished before it was purchased by the
Government of Canada.
The embassy building was officially opened by Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney on May 3, 1989. The building houses approximately 265 Canadian diplomatic and locally engaged staff. The embassy houses representatives from two provinces (
Ontario and
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Terri ...
) and 13 Canadian federal government agencies, including Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Development Canada, Industry Canada, Transport Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, the Department of National Defence, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the Organization of American States, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, amongst others. Additionally, the
Government of Quebec
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
's
Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie The Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie (French: ''Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie'') is a department in the Government of Quebec. Its primary task is to "promote and defend Québec’s interests in ...
has operated a
bureau
Bureau ( ) may refer to:
Agencies and organizations
*Government agency
*Public administration
* News bureau, an office for gathering or distributing news, generally for a given geographical location
* Bureau (European Parliament), the administra ...
in Washington since 1978; it is located near
McPherson Square
McPherson Square is a square in downtown Washington, D.C. It is bound by K Street Northwest to the north, Vermont Avenue NW on the East, I Street NW on the south, and 15th Street NW on the West; it is one block northeast of Lafayette Park. It ...
.
Canada has the embassy closest to the
Capitol Building and is the only country to have its embassy along the presidential inaugural route between the Capitol Building and the White House.
The Embassy of Canada hosts numerous events throughout the year for visiting ministers as well as for a wide range of diplomatic, military, and public functions.
Architecture
The Pennsylvania Avenue NW building was designed by
British Columbia's
Arthur Erickson
Arthur Charles Erickson (June 14, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Engineering at the University of British Columbia and, in 1950, received his B.Arch. (Honours) from McGill University. He is known ...
, one of Canada's most decorated architects. Erickson tried to evoke a sense of Canada in the architecture of the building, using long horizontals, wide open spaces and water features. The large airy courtyard includes the sculpture
Spirit of Haida Gwaii
The ''Spirit of Haida Gwaii'' is a sculpture by British Columbia Haida artist Bill Reid (1920–1998). There are two versions of it: the black canoe and the jade canoe. The black canoe features on Canadian $20 bills of the Canadian Journey serie ...
by
Bill Reid
William Ronald Reid Jr. (12 January 1920 – 13 March 1998) (Haida) was a Canadian artist whose works include jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and paintings. Producing over one thousand original works during his fifty-year career, Reid is ...
, featured on Canada's twenty-dollar bill from 2004 to 2012, which sits in a pool of water representative of Canada's ocean limits.
The "Rotunda of the Provinces" on the courtyard's southeast corner has a domed roof that is supported by 12 pillars, each featuring one of the crests of the ten provinces and two territories in existence at the time of the embassy's construction. The seal above the rotunda's entranceway represents the territory of Nunavut, which was established in April 1999. The rotunda is also an echo chamber; noise is reflected and focused back, though this magnified volume is only appreciated by the person at the rotunda's centre. Surrounding the rotunda is a waterfall, incorporated by the architect to represent Niagara Falls, the most famous site along the Canada–U.S. border.
In the words of former U.S. Secretary of State
James Baker, "I think just as diplomats represent their country, people and interest to the world, so too an embassy chancery displays its country's face to the world…This bold and dramatic building, the new Chancery of Canada does that. Monumental in its appearance, it also I think conveys the warmth and the openness of the people of Canada. Your new home here in the centre of our new capital
salong an avenue which is steeped in the history of American democracy between the White House and the Congress."
Artwork
The Embassy of Canada has four collections on display: the Foreign Affairs Fine Art Collection (a permanent collection at the embassy), the Canada Council Art Bank, the
Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil Limited (French: ''Compagnie Pétrolière Impériale Ltée'') is a Canadian petroleum company. It is Canada's second-biggest integrated oil company. It is majority owned by American oil company ExxonMobil with around 69.6 percent o ...
collection and the
Scotiabank
The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...
Corporate Art collection. The embassy also currently has several arctic-themed works that are on loan from
TD Bank, in honour of Canada's 2013–2015 chairship of the Arctic Council. The Foreign Affairs Fine Art Collection contains Canadian art for use in Embassies and Official Residences abroad. By displaying Canadian art in this manner, the collection assists in the promotion of Canadian culture abroad.
The Canada Council Art Bank is a collection of Canadian art that is loaned to Canadian government departments, agencies and private sector corporations.
Imperial Oil has lent the embassy 10 works from their corporate collection, providing a regional perspective of Canadian art. Of particular note are the works "Heart of the Forest" by Emily Carr and the Group of Seven's, A.J. Casson's piece "Morning near Whitefish Falls."
The Scotiabank Corporate art collection is one of the leading corporate art collections in Canada, consisting of significant works of art by renowned Canadian contemporary artists. This includes photography by Edward Burtynsky and Geoffrey James and a silkscreen on paper by Christopher Pratt.
The embassy also has a small gallery set just off of the main foyer that showcases Canadian artists or Canada-themed exhibits. In September 2014, the gallery hosted a special exhibit honouring the embassy's 25th anniversary.
Ambassador
Canada's 24th Ambassador to the United States was
David MacNaughton, who presented his credentials to President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
on March 3, 2016. MacNaughton previously served as Canadian and North American president of
Hill and Knowlton, and president of Public Affairs International, which purchased
Decima Research to create Public Affairs Resource Group.
MacNaughton left the post at the end of August 2019, and was replaced by Acting Ambassador of Canada to the United States
Kirsten Hillman.
[Kirsten Hillman]
Acting Ambassador of Canada to the United States. ''Government of Canada''. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
Kirsten Hillman was appointed Canada's Ambassador to the United States in March 2020.
Prior to her position as Acting Ambassador, Hillman served as Deputy Ambassador in Washington from August 2017 to August 2019.
Before joining the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Hillman held multiple positions with
Global Affairs Canada, practised law in Montréal and Ottawa, and was educated at the
University of Manitoba and
McGill University.
Consulates general
The
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
is also ultimately responsible for the 12 regional
consulates
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth count ...
:
#Consulate General of Canada in Atlanta, serving the states of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
,
Mississippi,
North Carolina,
South Carolina, and
Tennessee
#
Consulate General of Canada in Boston, serving the states of
Maine,
Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
Vermont, and
Rhode Island, as well as the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
overseas collectivity of
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
#
Consulate General of Canada in Chicago, serving the states of
Illinois,
Wisconsin, and
Missouri, as well as the
northwestern portions of
Indiana in
metropolitan Chicago
The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hint ...
, the portions of
Kansas in
metropolitan Kansas City, and the portions of
Iowa in the
Quad Cities area
#Consulate General of Canada in Dallas, serving the states of
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
,
Louisiana,
New Mexico,
Oklahoma, and
Texas
#Consulate General of Canada in Denver, serving the states of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
,
Montana,
Wyoming, and
Utah, as well as all of
Kansas outside metropolitan Kansas City
#Consulate General of Canada in Detroit, serving the states of
Michigan,
Ohio, and
Kentucky, as well as all of
Indiana outside metropolitan Chicago
#Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles, serving
Southern California,
Clark County/
Las Vegas in
Nevada, and the state of
Arizona
#Consulate General of Canada in Miami, serving the U.S. state of
Florida and the U.S. territories of
Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands
#Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis, serving the states of
Minnesota,
Nebraska,
North Dakota,
South Dakota, and the portions of
Iowa outside the Quad Cities area
#Consulate General of Canada in New York City, serving the states of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
,
Connecticut,
Delaware,
New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania, as well as the
British overseas territory
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...
of
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = " Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, e ...
#Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco/
Silicon Valley, serving
Northern California, the state of
Hawaii, and all of the state of
Nevada except
Clark County/
Las Vegas
#Consulate General of Canada in Seattle, serving the states of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
, and
Oregon
Trade offices
#Canadian Consulate in Houston
#
Palo Alto
#
San Diego
Gallery
File:Canadian embassy in US1.jpg, Rotunda of the Provinces
File:Inukshuk, Canadian Embassy, Washington.jpg, Inukshuk
An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) or inukshuk (from the iu, ᐃᓄᒃᓱᒃ, plural ; alternatively in Inuinnaqtun, in Iñupiaq, in Greenlandic) is a type of stone landmark or cairn built by, and for the use of, Inuit, Iñupiat, Kalaallit, Y ...
sculpture by David Ruben Piqtoukun
David Ruben Piqtoukun ᑎᕕᑎ ᐱᑐᑯ ᕈᐱᐃᓐ (also known as David Ruben) (born 1950) is an Inuvialuk (Inuit) artist from Paulatuk, Northwest Territories.
Career
One of 15 children, Piqtoukun lived a traditional Inuit life until he wa ...
in the lobby
File:Bill Reid Haida Gail 01.jpg, ''Spirit of Haida Gwaii
The ''Spirit of Haida Gwaii'' is a sculpture by British Columbia Haida artist Bill Reid (1920–1998). There are two versions of it: the black canoe and the jade canoe. The black canoe features on Canadian $20 bills of the Canadian Journey serie ...
''
File:Embassy.jpg, Embassy courtyard, looking toward the Rotunda of the Provinces
See also
*
Canada-United States relations
*
Embassy of the United States in Ottawa
The Embassy of the United States of America in Ottawa (french: Ambassade des États-Unis d'Amérique à Ottawa) is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America to Canada. Opened in 1999, the embassy complex is located at 490 Sussex Dri ...
*
List of Canadian ambassadors to the United States
*
Architecture of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, has a unique and diverse architectural history. Encompassing government, monumental, commercial, and residential buildings, D.C. is home to some of the country's most famous and popular structur ...
References
External links
*
Connect2Canada.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Embassy, Washington, D.C.
Canada
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
Canada–United States relations
Government buildings completed in 1989
1980s architecture in the United States
Arthur Erickson buildings