Archives - Jean Chrétien

Prime Minister Announces Sherpa for the Third Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in 2001

Mr. Lortie is a career diplomat with Canada's foreign service. He most recently served as Ambassador to Chile and is presently Senior Coordinator for Federal-Provincial Relations at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Mr. Ricard held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister of International Relations with the Government of Quebec from 1986-95. He is currently Secretary General of the Organization of World Heritage Cities, based in Quebec City.

"I am delighted to have two such excellent and experienced persons to guide the preparations for the Third Summit of the Americas. This gathering of Heads of State and Government will be the culmination of two years of hemispheric events that Canada has hosted, beginning with the Pan Am Games in 1999. I will be proud to welcome the leaders of the Americas in Québec City, one of the world's great heritage sites," said the Prime Minister.

The Third Summit of the Americas will inaugurate the 21st Century for the hemisphere. It will be an occasion for leaders to continue to develop strong hemispheric partnerships, to renew their commitment to democracy and economic integration, and to discuss and agree on action to address the needs and aspirations of the citizens of the Americas.

The Summit of the Americas is a relatively new process in the hemisphere. The first Summit was held in Miami in 1994, the second in 1998 in Santiago, Chile.

The appointments are effective immediately. Biographical notes are attached.

PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555

A career diplomat, Marc Lortie was born in Beauport, Quebec in 1948. He obtained a B.A. at the Séminaire de Québec and a specialized B.A. in Political Science (International Relations) at Laval University. He joined the Department of External Affairs in 1971.

He served abroad in Tunisia (1973-75) and Washington (1979-83). He was seconded to the Prime Minister's Office in 1985 where he was in charge of relations with the international media until 1987 when he was named Press Secretary.

In 1989, he returned to the diplomatic service and served in Paris as Minister-Counsellor for Political Affairs and as Personal Representative of the Prime Minister for La Francophonie. He was named Canadian Ambassador to Chile in 1993 and served in that position until 1997 when he was nominated Fellow at the Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University.

Mr. Lortie returned to Ottawa in September 1998 where he was appointed Senior Coordinator for Federal-Provincial Relations at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Mr. Lortie is married to Patricia Dunn.

Denis Ricard has held a number of senior executive positions in both the public and private sectors. The native of Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, obtained his M.A. in International Relations from the University of Ottawa in 1972 and has spent most of his professional career in areas related to international affairs.

He served as Assistant Secretary General for UNESCO's Experiment in International Living Program (1972-74), Executive Director of the Overseas Book Centre (1974-78), Assistant Director General of CIDA's Canada World Youth (1978-80), and Executive Director of the Association des intervenants en toxicomanie du Quebec (1980-83).

He served in both federal and provincial governments in the mid-1980's and was Assistant Deputy Minister of International Relations with the Government of Quebec from 1986-95. In this capacity, he was closely involved in the organization of the Summit of La Francophonie in Quebec City in 1987. After working on a number of international assignments from 1995 to 1998, he became Secretary General of the Organization of World Heritage Cities, which is headquartered in Quebec City.

Mr. Ricard is married and has a child.