Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)
[''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development ().] is the
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of the
Government of Canada that manages Canada's diplomatic and consular relations, promotes Canadian international trade, and leads Canada's international development and humanitarian assistance. It is also responsible for maintaining Canadian government offices abroad with diplomatic and consular status on behalf of all government departments.
History
The department has undergone numerous name changes and re-organizations since its founding in 1909. Originally established as the Department of External Affairs, the department has also been known as Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada throughout its lifetime.
Origins (early 20th century)
Global Affairs Canada was first founded as the Department of External Affairs on 1 June 1909.
During and after
World War I, however, Canada assumed progressively greater control over its foreign relations, with its full autonomy in this field being confirmed by the
Statute of Westminster in 1931. Still, for historical reasons, the name External Affairs was retained.
The Department of Trade and Commerce, which included the
Trade Commissioner Service, was created in 1892 and was combined with the
Department of Industry
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in 1969 to form the Department of Industry Trade and Commerce (ITC).
[ Osbaldeston, Gordon. 1992. ''Organizing to Govern'', vol. II. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.] Both External Affairs and ITC maintained networks of offices abroad, with varying degrees of coordination among them. The
Department of Citizenship and Immigration also had offices abroad, in some cases dating back to Confederation.
Reorganization (1970s–80s)
In the 1970s and early 1980s, there were gr