Sylvie Bédard

Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles

Sylvie Bédard is a veteran Canadian diplomat and international affairs leader currently serving as Acting Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles, where she represents the Government of Canada across Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. In this role, she leads initiatives to strengthen Canada–U.S. relations through expanded trade and investment, cross-border collaboration, cultural diplomacy, and consular engagement. She oversees one of Canada’s most strategically important diplomatic missions in the United States, focused on advancing economic partnerships, innovation, sustainability, and people-to-people ties across the region. Over the course of a distinguished 30-year career with Global Affairs Canada, Bédard has held numerous senior diplomatic and leadership positions in Canada and abroad. Prior to her appointment in Los Angeles, she served as Director General for Central America and the Caribbean at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa. Earlier, she was Canada’s Ambassador to Ecuador from 2018 to 2022, where she advanced bilateral cooperation on trade, development, environmental policy, and regional diplomacy. Bédard has also served as Director of the Canadian Cultural Centre at the Embassy of Canada in Paris and as Director of the Centre of Learning for International Affairs and Global Leadership at the Canadian Foreign Service Institute. Earlier in her career, she gained private-sector experience leading community and Indigenous relations initiatives for TransCanada Energy, helping bridge public policy, industry, and stakeholder engagement. Originally from Québec City, Bédard holds a degree in economics from the University of Manchester and an MBA from Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris. She has also completed executive leadership programs through INSEAD and earned the ICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Widely respected for her expertise in diplomacy, international partnerships, and cross-sector collaboration, she continues to play a key role in advancing Canada’s economic, cultural, and strategic engagement throughout the American West.