DFAIT Re-invents the Wheel

Further to the July 13 broadcast message [internal DFAIT only] introducing the Canada Bureau (BSD), we wish to share more detail on the Bureau’s structure, vision, mandate, and developments.

Structure

The Canada Bureau (BSD), part of the International Business Development, Investment and Innovation Branch (BFM), unites the Regional Office Strategy and Operations Division (BSR), DFAIT’s network of 12 Regional Offices (ROs) and six satellite offices, the Intergovernmental Relations Division (BSI), and the Consultations and Liaison Division (BSL).

Mandate and vision

Under the New Business Model, the Canada Bureau’s mandate is to better connect the Department to Canadians. The traditional strength of the Regional Office network has been its on-the-ground relationships with business clients and local partners. The Department will apply this effective approach more broadly to support a wider range of policies and activities while continuing to build its core Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) strength. The vision of the Canada Bureau is to develop and leverage DFAIT’s domestic expertise and networks to enable targeted, coherent and aligned stakeholder engagement and service delivery. The Bureau now delivers three primary business lines:
Advancing Canada’s Global Commerce Strategy by:

• increasing Canada’s international commercial engagement by working with missions and HQ to attract and develop clients through the ROs and connect them to global business, investment and innovation opportunities;
  
  
• collaborating with HQ and missions to attract and retain foreign direct investment.

Advancing the Department’s priorities through outreach and engagement by:

• developing and leveraging the Department’s domestic stakeholder network, including partner departments and agencies, other orders of government, and key national business and industry associations;
  
  
• delivering the Speakers’ Program and supporting Corporate Outreach; and
  
  
• promoting the Government’s trade policies and programs in the regions of Canada.

Strengthening the Government’s foreign and trade policies and programs by:

• providing insight and advice grounded in domestic realities, notably by:
  • managing or advising on consultations with the private sector (e.g. the Minister of International Trade’s Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Advisory Board and the Sector Advisory Boards), and federal/provincial/territorial consultations on trade policy (C-Trade) and Global Commerce Strategy implementation;
    
    
  • offering direction on a wide range of provincial/territorial (PT) issues including: PT international interests and activities, memorandums of understanding and other arrangements, management of co-locations, PT participation in international meetings; and
    
    
  • collaborating with the Sector Practices and other HQ divisions to advise Missions on Canadian commercial capabilities.