Canadian High Commissions are
Canadian diplomatic missions in the capitals of
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
states.
High Commissions are the equivalent of
embassies
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes a ...
in non-Commonwealth states.
History
The
Dominion of Canada
While a variety of theories have been postulated for the name of Canada, its origin is now accepted as coming from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word , meaning 'village' or 'settlement'. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec C ...
and the colonies which preceded it had effectively engaged in diplomacy with Britain, particularly to promote their interests in immigration and economic matters, despite not being sovereign states. In 1868, the Canadian Parliament sent
Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet
Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet (2 August 1820 – 24 August 1888) was a Scots-Quebecer politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and the Executive Council of the Province of Canada. After Confederation, ...
, as a "quasi-official representative" to Britain, and in 1878, with its growing political interests, Canada requested to send a full-time "resident minister to London" to engage in diplomacy with the British government. The
Colonial Office
The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colo ...
was amenable but felt that Canada's subordinate position in the British Empire precluded diplomatic status and the diplomatic title "minister", and after some correspondence, Britain agreed to Canada's request for the title of "high commissioner", chosen to ensure that foreign governments understood its holder's importance.
Alexander Tilloch Galt
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, (September 6, 1817 – September 19, 1893) was a politician and Fathers of Confederation, Father of Confederation, the Canadian Confederation, union of British North American colonies into Canada.
Early life
He w ...
was the first to hold the position (1880–1883).
Canada's example was followed by other dominions of the British Empire and by 1918 they each had a high commissioner in London. Following the First World War, most of the dominions became founding members of the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
and entitled to send diplomatic ambassadors to non-Commonwealth states.
At Canada's suggestion, Britain sent a high commissioner to Canada in 1928, taking over much of the governor general's responsibilities.
Canada exchanged high commissioners with other dominions during the Second World War, and afterwards with the newly-independent states of South Asia. However, there was little engagement with the other dominions and the high commissioners perceived themselves to have inferior status to Canada's ambassadors, eight of whom were posted by 1945.
In 1948, members of the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
were established as "free and equal" and high commissioners gained equal status with ambassadors.
In 1951, Canada began styling high commissioners as "excellency", and in 1954 granted diplomatic immunity to high commissioners.
High Commissions
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High Commission of Canada, London
The High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom () is the diplomatic mission of Canada to the United Kingdom. It is housed at Canada House on Trafalgar Square in central London.
History
The Canadian high commission in London is Canada's ol ...
Africa
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High Commission of Canada, Abuja, Nigeria
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High Commission of Canada, Accra, Ghana
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High Commission of Canada, Banjul, Gambia
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High Commission of Canada, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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High Commission of Canada, Kigali, Rwanda
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High Commission of Canada, Lagos, Nigeria
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High Commission of Canada, Lusaka, Zambia
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High Commission of Canada, Maputo, Mozambique
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High Commission of Canada, Nairobi, Kenya
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High Commission of Canada, Pretoria, South Africa
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High Commission of Canada, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Americas
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High Commission of Canada, Bridgetown, Barbados
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High Commission of Canada, Georgetown, Guyana
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High Commission of Canada, Kingston, Jamaica
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High Commission of Canada, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Asia
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High Commission of Canada, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam
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High Commission of Canada, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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High Commission of Canada, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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High Commission of Canada, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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High Commission of Canada, Islamabad, Pakistan
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High Commission of Canada, New Delhi
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High Commission of Canada, Singapore
Oceania
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High Commission of Canada, Apia, Samoa
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High Commission of Canada, Canberra, Australia
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High Commission of Canada, Tarawa, Kiribati
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High Commission of Canada, Wellington, New Zealand
The following Australian High Commissions in Oceania provide consular services to Canadian citizens under the
Canada–Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement:
*
High Commission of Australia to Nauru
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High Commission of Australia to Papua New Guinea
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High Commission of Australia to Solomon Islands
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High Commission of Australia to Tonga
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High Commission of Australia to Vanuatu
Commissioners
*
List of high commissioners of Canada to Australia, 1939–present
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List of high commissioners of Canada to Barbados, 1966–present
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List of high commissioners of Canada to Belize
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List of high commissioners of Canada to Hong Kong, ?–1997
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List of high commissioners of Canada to India
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List of high commissioners of Canada to Newfoundland, 1941–1949
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List of high commissioners of Canada to New Zealand, 1940–present
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List of high commissioners of Canada to the United Kingdom, 1880–present
See also
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List of diplomatic missions of Canada
Footnotes
Notes
References
{{reflist , refs=
[{{cite web
, title=Glossary
, publisher=Immigration and Citizenship Canada Help Centre, Government of Canada
, date=11 December 2023
, url=https://www.canada.ca/en/services/immigration-citizenship/helpcentre/glossary.html#h
, access-date=17 February 2024
]
[{{cite journal
, first=Lorna
, last=Lloyd
, title=Family Diplomacy: Canada and the Commonwealth Office of High Commissioner
, date=Winter 2004–05
, journal=]International Journal
The Canadian International Council (CIC; ) is a Canadian think tank on foreign relations. It is an independent, member-based council established to strengthen Canada's role in international affairs. Its goal is to advance debate on international ...
, publisher=Canadian International Council
The Canadian International Council (CIC; ) is a Canadian think tank on foreign relations. It is an independent, member-based council established to strengthen Canada's role in international affairs. Its goal is to advance debate on international ...
, volume=60
, number=1
, pages=111–128
, jstor=40204023
, doi=10.2307/40204032
High commissioners of Canada
High Comm