The Embassy of Canada in France (french: Ambassade du Canada en France) is the 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 den ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to the French Republic. As of May 2, 2018, the embassy and the Canadian Cultural Centre relocated to 130

rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré The Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré () is a street located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Relatively narrow and nondescript, especially in comparison to the nearby Avenue des Champs-Élysées, it is cited as being one of the most lux ...

in the 8th arrondissement of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, which underwent renovation for that purpose. Previously, the embassy was located at 35

avenue Montaigne Avenue Montaigne () is a street in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Origin of the name Avenue Montaigne was originally called the Allée des Veuves (widows' alley) because women in mourning gathered there, but the street has changed muc ...

, and the Canadian Cultural Centre was located at 5 rue de Constantine in Paris. The Canadian ambassador's official residence is located at 135 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Paris is also home to Canada's permanent delegations to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

and the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...

, which are housed separately. In addition, the Government of Quebec has a delegation in Paris, which is located at 66 rue Pergolèse in the

16th arrondissement The 16th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''seizième''. The arrondissement includes part of the Arc de Tr ...

.Délégation générale du Québec à Paris
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History

The embassy is the oldest posting in the Canadian foreign service (in its early history, the Canadian government did not view the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as a foreign country, as Canada formed part of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

). Canada's presence in Paris began in 1882 and was precipitated by the actions of the province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. The provincial government had appointed Hector Fabre, a former journalist and senator, as its representative in France. The Canadian federal government took advantage of this presence to name him Canada's "agent" and later "commissioner" in France, although he held no

diplomatic rank Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

or status. Fabre was theoretically supposed to report to the

Canadian High Commission in London The High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom (french: Haut-commissariat du Canada au Royaume-Uni) is the diplomatic mission of Canada to the United Kingdom. It is housed at Canada House on Trafalgar Square in central London, with an addit ...

, but in practise had little oversight. In 1911,

Philippe Roy Philippe Roy, (February 13, 1868 – December 10, 1948) was a Canadian physician, politician, and diplomat. In 1906, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada representing the senatorial government division of Edmonton, Alberta. During this ...

became Canada's and Quebec's "commissioner general" in France, by the appointment of the Laurier Liberals. The incoming Tory government disapproved of the potential conflicts-of-interest that could result from his serving both roles, and he resigned from the Quebec position. In 1914, as most of the foreign representatives in Paris evacuated because of the threatening German Army, Roy remained in Paris. By January 1928, the Canadian office in Paris had been promoted to a formal legation, and Roy became "minister" to France, presenting his credentials on September 19, 1928, but still under the British ambassador. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, after the Fall of France in 1940, Canada's minister in Paris,

Georges Vanier Georges-Philias Vanier (23 April 1888 – 5 March 1967) was a Canadian military officer and diplomat who served as governor general of Canada, the first Quebecer and second Canadian-born person to hold the position. Vanier was born and ...

, fled to London. Canada did not send a representative to the

Vichy regime Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

but still technically maintained relations, allowing Vanier to return to visit France several times. Once Canada shifted recognition to the

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

under Charles de Gaulle, Vanier dealt with them in London. After the

liberation of France The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany inv ...

, the legation became an embassy and Vanier became Canada's first ambassador in 1944. The embassy is one of Canada's largest missions in Europe, with about 60 Canada-based diplomats and 170 locally-employed staff working at the chancery and the Canadian Cultural Centre (both at 130

), as well as the ambassador's official residence (at 135 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré).

References

External links

Official website

Official history of the Canadian mission to France
{{Authority control

Canada–France relations

History

See also

References

External links