Len Edwards

Len Edwards is a strategic adviser in Gowlings' Ottawa office. Len has extensive international experience in the areas of international commerce, trade policy and political affairs, and in dealing with foreign environments, particularly in the Asia-Pacific. Len has an impressive career in the public sector including most recently as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the same time period, he acted as the Prime Minister's personal representative for the G-20 and G-8 Summits. Prior to this position, Len was the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, the Deputy Minister of International Trade. Concurrently, he was Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Commissioner of the Northern Pipeline Agency, and a Director of Export Development Canada. Len was also the Assistant Deputy Minister, Asia and Pacific and Canada’s senior official to the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation (APEC) organization. He was the Canadian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea as well as the Canadian Ambassador to Japan. Over the years, Len's also held additional key foreign positions representing Canada in Geneva, Brussels (a NATO position), Turkey, and Vietnam. He is named a 2013 Mentor by the Trudeau Foundation.