Profile
High Commissioner Leslie Scanlon is currently representing Canada in Pakistan. She was assigned in Pakistan in November 2022 and working since to strengthen the bilateral relations between both the countries.
Diplomat Leslie Scanlon did her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in political science and Spanish from Carleton University, Canada.
She has also refined her expertise in crisis management at the Kennedy School for Executive Leadership at Harvard University, USA.
Foreign services:
She has been serving as a diplomat for almost two decades, representing Canada in Poland, Japan, and France before her assignment in Pakistan.
Her diplomatic missions include trade promotion, foreign policy advancement, development, and international assistance along with communication and consular affairs.
Ms. Scanlon served as a Canadian ambassador to France from August 2007 to August 2011, she then served in Ontario, Canada from 2011 to 2024 as director of consular case management and director general of consular case operation.
The High Commissioner then worked as a director general in mission operations in Quebec, Canada for another two years.
Ms. Scanlon resumed her foreign mission as Canada’s Ambassador to Poland from 2018 to 2022.
During this period, she was instrumental in managing the refugee crisis and facilitating humanitarian aid for Ukraine through Poland, especially after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, in collaboration with the Polish government.
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Current services:
In Pakistan, High Commissioner Leslie Scanlon is highly engaged with NGOs, civil society, media personnel, and climate change activists.
She serves as the primary liaison for the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), which is a project under the Global Affairs of Canada.
CFLI provided funds to organizations working for women’s empowerment, gender equality, climate change, and peace and security as these are the priorities of Canada’s foreign policy.
To advance these objectives, High Commissioner Leslie Scanlon has been negotiating with states and non-state actors regularly.
Her sustained efforts recently enabled Canada to provide financial aid totaling 8 million PKR to families affected by the 2024 monsoon rains.
Ms. Scanlon also working to facilitate Afghan refuge in Pakistan. Moreover, she is supporting many small NGOs like the Kashaf Foundation, to promote women’s empowerment.
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Likewise, she is supporting other organizations like Aga Khan Foundation Global to facilitate them in providing quality healthcare.
Furthermore, she is in dialogue with the Pakistani government to promote human rights, enhance border security, and counter illegal trafficking.
High Commissioner Leslie Scanlon is working to strengthen bilateral relations between Canada and Pakistan and also facilitating non-state actors to play their part as a responsible part of Pakistani society.
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