Leslie E. Norton (Diploma, Aix-Marseille III University, 1985; BA Hons [Literature], University of Western Ontario, 1988; MA [International Relations], Laval University, 1992) began her career in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and then worked for many years at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in a range of positions in the Africa, Asia and Multilateral branches, including serving in Bangladesh and at the Permanent Mission of Canada in Geneva.
In Ottawa, she served as Director of the International Humanitarian Assistance and Food Aid Unit at CIDA from 2006 to 2008 and as Director of the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Response Group at DFAIT from 2008 to 2009. She served as Director General of the International Humanitarian Assistance Bureau from 2009 to 2015 and as Director General of the Southern and Eastern Africa Bureau from 2015 to 2016. She served as Assistant Deputy Minister of the Sub-Saharan Africa Branch from 2016 to 2019 and was subsequently appointed Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Conference on Disarmament in Geneva in August 2019.