It is common for retired Heads of Mission to be asked to provide informal career advice to students, young professionals, or former employees. These conversations can be very rewarding for both parties concerned. Mentoring, however, usually involves a more formal relationship between a mentor and a mentee over a longer period of time. AmbCanada has established two formal mentoring programs as pilot projects in recent years. 

The first program was organized in 2023–2024 with Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC). Thirty-six mentor–mentee pairs were established, matching AmbCanada members with YDC participants. The pairs were expected to meet several times over a six-month period. Roxanne Dubé led the coordination of this program on behalf of the Board. Most of the YDC mentees were young professionals, living in major Canadian cities, with an interest in an international career, though not necessarily within the federal government. The results naturally varied, depending on the specific interests of the mentee, but overall, 72% reported that they were very satisfied with the results. At the end of the pilot, the AmbCanada board concluded that while the initiative was worthwhile, future efforts should focus on expanding mentorship relationships with Global Affairs Canada. 

More recently, in 2025, a smaller pilot mentorship program has been established between AmbCanada and the Royal Military College (RMC) for cadets in their final year. This program is the initiative of Tim Martin, a former Representative of Canada in Kandahar. The purpose is to expose future Canadian military officers to the diplomatic dimensions of Canada’s presence abroad. Five AmbCanada mentor–RMC mentee pairs have been established and are expected to meet monthly between October 2025 and April 2026. Depending on feedback, this program may be renewed in 2026. 

AmbCanada has worked with the Canadian Foreign Service Institute (CFSI) for many years to provide briefings for new Heads of Mission as part of the Institute’s annual Head of Mission course. To date, these briefings have not been conducted as one-on-one mentorships. However, we are currently working with CFSI to offer more in-depth briefings in a small seminar format with current Heads of Mission under the rubric of diplomatic tradecraft. 

If you are interested in being involved in these initiatives or have other ideas for mentorship relations that may be of interest to AmbCanada members, please contact us at info@ambcanada.ca. AmbCanada members should also consult the Get Involved tab under the Members Portal on this site.