Marcel Cadieux

Marcel Cadieux joined Canada’s foreign service in 1941 after legal study in Montréal. He combined legal work with administration and promoted recruitment from Quebec to make the diplomatic service more representative of Canada’s French speaking population. He also encouraged development cooperation with francophone African countries and became the first Canadian member of the United Nations International Law Commission. ¹

After leading the Department of External Affairs, Cadieux became Canada’s first francophone ambassador to the United States. His later assignments included heading the Canadian mission to the European Economic Community and negotiating with the United States over fisheries and maritime boundaries in 1977. ¹