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Ambassador

Kirsten Hillman

Kirsten Hillman has served as Canada’s Ambassador to the United States of America in Washington D.C. since 2020.

The first woman to be appointed to this position, Ambassador Hillman has stewarded the bilateral relationship through two administrations and the COVID-19 pandemic, managing a wide range of bilateral and global files, advocating for Canada’s interests, and advancing shared priorities.

Through her twenty-five-year career with the Government of Canada, Ambassador Hillman has held various senior diplomatic, policy, and legal positions at home and abroad. She has played critical roles in negotiating important trade agreements for Canada, including the modernization of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and served as Canada’s Chief Negotiator for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Prior to this, Ambassador Hillman practised law at the Department of Justice in Ottawa and at a private law firm in Montréal.

Ambassador Hillman grew up in Calgary and Winnipeg and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba and Bachelors of Civil Law and of Common Law from McGill University. She also holds a Doctor of Laws – honoris causa – from the Royal Military College of Canada.

She was recognized in the Maclean’s magazine 2022 Power List – 50 Canadians who are forging paths, leading the debate and shaping how we think and live – and named one of Washington’s most powerful women by the Washingtonian in 2021.

She is married and is the mother of two sons.

@KirstenHillmanA

Latest Posts

Between Two Maples

Ambassador Kirsten Hillman recently sat down with Major Kirk Sullivan, Assistant Canadian Forces Public Affairs Attaché, to discuss her role in leading Canada’s Mission in the United States, the moment she found out she would be named Ambassador, and her take on the pineapple on pizza debate.

October 19, 2022

Canada Day Message From Ambassador Kirsten Hillman

Good Morning everyone. I’m Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s Ambassador to the United States.  Today, we mark Canada Day from the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. This year, more than ever, Canada Day presents us with an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity, understanding, and resilience. An opportunity for Canadians to come together to reflect on our history […]

July 1, 2021

Ambassador Hillman Talks Critical Minerals On Politico’s Global Translations Podcast

In January 2020, Canada and the U.S. announced the completion of the Canada-U.S. Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals Collaboration. The Plan advances our mutual interest in strengthening supply chains for the critical minerals needed for important manufacturing sectors, and delivered on a June 2019 commitment by the Prime Minister of Canada and the President […]

December 9, 2020

Statement from Canada’s Ambassador-designate to the United States

I am deeply honoured to be named Canada’s Ambassador to the United States by Prime Minister Trudeau. Canada has no closer friend and ally than the United States. Our connections are enduring and profound. The close personal, economic and security ties between our people are at the heart of our extraordinary relationship. Today, our two […]

March 26, 2020

Statement from Canada’s Acting Ambassador to the United States on U.S. Importation of Pharmaceutical Drugs from Canada

Canada’s acting Ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, issued the following statement today following an announcement by the U.S. Administration to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking that, if finalized, would allow for the importation of certain prescription drugs from Canada: “We recognize that the debate about the importation of prescription drugs to the […]

December 18, 2019