The FES in Canada

The Washington Office coordinates programs in the US and Canada. To be able to work more effectively and sustainably in Canada, the FES has installed a Liaison Officer in Ottawa in 2008, the only German political foundation to do so.

The Canada Liaison Officer

• Builds and maintains a network of partners and key individuals in the realm of Parliament, government, academia, think tanks, NGOs, international organizations, and the media.
• Develops and organizes conferences and seminars on themes that are important to both Germans/Europeans and Canadians, including on politics, society, economics, history or the environment.
• Researches and analyses political information for the foundation’s Washington office and its Western Industrialized Countries Unit based in the Berlin headquarters.

Since spring 2008, the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation has co-organized a number of events with Canadian partners, some as expert meetings, some as public discussions. Topics ranged from both countries’ engagement in Afghanistan to the three Es (energy, economy and environment), as well as the Arctic as a national versus international space.

In 2010 Canada will be in the spotlight on the international stage not only because of the Winter Olympics in February. Canada will hold the G8 presidency and will host the next G8/G20 summit in Ontario in June. Furthermore, the negotiations between Canada and the EU for a far-reaching free trade agreement will be ramped up in 2010. The FES will continue to work on the topics taken up in 2008/09 and address the issues raised by Canada’s G8 presidency and the G8/G20 Summit.