About the Speaker: Mr. Brian H. Dickson has lived in New Delhi, India when he was posted as Deputy High Commissioner for Canada to India; he has a passion for photography, and has extensively travelled in India — See his profile below.

Mr. Brian Dickson spoke on the 24th of September 24, 2006. [Listen to recorded video.]

Topic: "Diplomatic notes: Perspectives on India" — Mr. Dickson shared his personal experiences in India and gave away some of his perspectives on different facets of life in India — See the synopsis of his talk below.

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Personal Profile of Mr. Brian H. Dickson, Q.C.

A lawyer by training, Mr. Dickson was called to the bar in 1972 after obtaining a law degree from the University of Toronto. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University and a Diploma in Higher European Studies from the Université de Nancy, France. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel by the Government of Canada in 1989.

Mr. Dickson joined the Department of External Affairs in 1972 and served in India, Romania, the United States (Washington, D.C.) and then Guatemala as Ambassador. He was subsequently appointed as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS). In 2002, he returned to India, his first diplomatic assignment, where he was Deputy High Commissioner until 2005.

Mr. Dickson’s assignments in Ottawa included two assignments in the Legal Advisory Division, including one as Director. In this latter capacity, Mr. Dickson headed a number of Canadian delegations during bilateral and multilateral negotiations involving extradition, mutual legal assistance, and other legal matters. More recently, he was Director of the South America Division, which included responsibility for political and trade issues, and later Director of the United Nations and Commonwealth Affairs Division.

Mr. Dickson is married and has two sons. He is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

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Synopsis of the Talk

TOPIC of his talk at the ICFC on September 24, 2006: "Diplomatic notes: Perspectives on India"

Synopsis — Mr. Brian Dickson first visited India while a student, as head of a summer exchange program in Visakhapatnam on the Bay of Bengal. Three years later he returned to India, with his wife, Kate, on his first diplomatic assignment, at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi where he provided consular assistance to Canadians and later worked in the political section.

He returned to India in 2002 to 2005 as Deputy High Commissioner on his final Foreign Service assignment.

In his remarks, Mr. Dickson reflected on his experiences in India. His remarks included a summary of the evolving bilateral relationship, observations on some of the profound political, economic and social changes in India between his two assignments, as well as personal and family experiences.

Mr. Dickson is also a keen photographer. Following his first posting in India, an exhibition of his photographs was sponsored by the Government of Romania in conjunction with the Indian Embassy in Bucharest. He displayed through computer projection some of these black and white photographs, together with colour photos taken during his second assignment.

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