Raymond Chrétien
Raymond Chrétien, OC (born May 20, 1942) is a Canadian lawyer and diplomat. He has served as the ambassador of Canada to the United States.
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Early Years
Born and raised in Shawinigan, Quebec, Chrétien graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Séminaire de Joliette (now part of Cégep régional de Lanaudière) and then Laval University in Law.
Diplomatic Career
Following his admission to the Quebec Bar, Chrétien entered the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Department of External Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1966.
His positions include:
- Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire): 1978–1981
- Mexico: 1985–1988
- Belgium: 1991–1994
- United States: 1994–2000
- France: 2000–2003
From 1988 to 1991, he was associate under secretary of state for external affairs. In 1996, he was named special envoy to the UN for the Great Lakes and Central Africa.
Post-Government Career
In 2004, he joined the law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin and in December 2005, joined the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Since April 2004, he is Chairman of the board of the Center for International Studies of the Université de Montréal (CÉRIUM). He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010.[1]
He is also a member of the Trilateral Commission[2]
Personal
Chrétien is the nephew of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. He is married to Kay Rousseau with two children, Caroline Chrétien and Louis-François Chrétien.[3]
Besides his native French, Chretien also is fluent in English and Spanish.
References
External links
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (1926–43) | |
|---|---|
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (1943–) | |
