Christopher MacLennan is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister for Global Issues and Development at Global Affairs Canada. In this role, he leads on Canada’s development assistance efforts through multilateral and global partners, humanitarian assistance and priority thematic policy issues such as the empowerment of women and girls, health and education and green economic growth. Mr. MacLennan also serves as Canada’s G7 foreign affairs sous-sherpa, working closely with Peter M. Boehm, Deputy Minister for the G7 Summit and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister. Mr. MacLennan has served as acting Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet for Priorities and Planning and ADM of Policy Innovation at the Privy Council Office. Prior to PCO, Mr. MacLennan was Director General for Health and Nutrition at Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). Mr. MacLennan led the team that organized the Prime Minister’s Saving Every Woman, Every Child Summit on maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in 2014. This work followed on his previous work for the G8 Muskoka Initiative on MNCH in 2010.

Mr. MacLennan holds a Ph.D. from Western University specializing in constitutional development and international human rights and has numerous publications including Toward the Charter: Canadians and the Demand for a National Bill of Rights, 1929-1960.