Lucie Edwards


Lucie Edwards is a Canadian diplomat, who worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development from 1976 to 2009, as the high commissioner to India, South Africa, Kenya and permanent representative to the United Nations Environmental program. She founded the Global Issues Bureau and served as assistant deputy minister for Corporate Services in Ottawa. She received the Public Service Award of Excellence in 1995 for her humanitarian work during the Rwanda genocide and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of Excellence from the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2009. Lucie Edwards has over 20 years of experience representing Canada at the United Nations and regional development agencies. Her interests include good governance, food security, poverty alleviation, primary health care and sustainable development. Today, she can be found working at the crossroads of science, the environment, and international development having completed her doctoral dissertation in Global Governance at the University of Waterloo. She was the Ashley Fellow 2011 at Trent University.

Education

She was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She was a contestant on Reach for the Top and valedictorian of her graduating class at Laurentian High School in Ottawa, Ontario.
In recognition of exceptional academic and extracurricular achievement, she was a recipient of the prestigious Champlain Scholarship at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. As an undergraduate student backpacking around the Middle East, her bus was hijacked in Lebanon. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Economics and History Honours, from Trent University in 1976. She took the Foreign Affairs Officer's exam initially because she thought it would be good practice for the law school entrance exam. She accepted a job offer on the Middle East desk at the Department of External now Foreign Affairs in 1976. She earned a Masters in Public Administration from John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In 1984. Lucie Edwards married Thomas Roach in 1979.

Career

As a Canadian public servant and diplomat, Lucie Edwards has held various roles. In 1976, Lucie Edwards was one of five women who joined the Department of External Affairs, now the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
TitleLocationYears
Foreign Affairs Officer, Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. Throughout her career, she has specialized on African and Middle Eastern affairs.Ottawa, Ontario and various external assignments1976–2009
Foreign Affairs Officer, Middle East division, Israel Embassy
  • she helped develop a Canadian studies program in Israel.
Tel Aviv, Israel1977–1980
Foreign Affairs Officer Middle East division, Lebanon desk officer
  • just after Israel invaded Lebanon
    		• Beirut, Lebanon1982–1984
    Chairperson of the Southern Africa Task Force, Department of Foreign AffairsOttawa, Ontario1989–1992
    Director of the Middle East Relations Division, Department of Foreign AffairsOttawa, Ontario1992–1993
  • High Commissioner to Kenya
  • Permanent representative to United Nations Environment Programme and United National Human Settlements Programme UN/Habitat.
  • Chaired the Donors' Development Group, in collaboration with the government of Kenya.
    		• Nairobi, Kenya1993–1995
    Founding Director General of the Global Issues Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs, which provided policy direction on human rights, peace building, environment and human developmentOttawa, Ontario1995 - 1996.
    Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Department of Foreign Affairs - responsible for a staff of 1200, 400 million dollar budget, and 160 overseas missions.Ottawa, Ontario1996 - 1999.
    High Commissioner of Canada to South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mauritius. Chairperson of the World Agroforestry Centre. She served as an adviser on rural development for International Agricultural Research.Pretoria, South Africa1999 - 2003.
    High Commissioner in the Republic of India, with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal and the Kingdom of BhutanNew Delhi, India2003–2006
    Internal Management Consultant, Chief Strategist and Head of the Office of Transformation, Department of Foreign Affairs with a mandate to "reinvent Canada’s foreign and trade ministry for the twenty-first century."Ottawa, Ontario2007–2009
    Doctoral candidate in Global Governance, Balsillie School of International Affairs from University of WaterlooKitchener, Ontario2009–present

    Honours

    Ms. Edwards was awarded the 2009 Award of Excellence—Lifetime Achievement Award for her career in the Foreign Service.
    In 1995, Lucie Edwards received the Public Service Award of Excellence, the Public Service’s highest award, for her mission's humanitarian work during the civil war in Rwanda. She received the Merit Award, 1994 for consular operations in Rwanda, Department of Foreign Affairs. She was awarded the Merit Award, 1989 for human rights work in South Africa, Department of Foreign Affairs.
    She was the Ashley Fellow at Trent University 2011/12 where she served as a "diplomat in residence" and spoke to classes in Environmental Resource Science / Studies, International Development Studies, Politics, and Economics.

    Select publications