The CIC National Capital Branch’s Security and Intelligence Working is pleased to host a follow-up event with James Trottier who will give an update on his work on North Korea.  The session will take place on Wednesday, February 23rd, at 7:00 pm. 

James will be reviewing the recent actions of North Korea, including the 7 missile launches, which have been largely ignored given the events in Ukraine as well as our own domestic issues.  As a preview, James has outlined the three reasons why North Korea is proceeding in this way: 1. To test enhanced/upgraded weapons systems; 2. To try to get on the Biden Administration agenda and prod the Biden Administration into substantive engagement; 3. To negotiate from a position of strength if and when negotiations resume.

James Trottier is a lawyer and former diplomat who graduated with a law degree (JD) from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and was called to the bar in Toronto. He worked in a major civil litigation law firm in Toronto before joining the Department of External Affairs. In addition to his JD in law, he has an LL.M. in International Law (University of Ottawa), an M.A. in Modern History (University of Toronto) and a B.A (University of Manitoba).

Mr. Trottier served as a career Foreign Service Officer from 1982 to 2016 with numerous assignments at headquarters and abroad where he served in several senior diplomatic positions. Since retiring from Global Affairs Canada in 2016, he has served as a consultant to the Government of Canada and provides media commentary.

His last diplomatic assignment from 2013 to 2016 was as Political/Economic Counsellor and Head of Political, Economic and Public Affairs at the Canadian Embassy in the Republic of Korea with a cross-accreditation to North Korea where he led four diplomatic delegations in 2015 and 2016 (the first Canadian diplomatic missions to North Korea since 2010).  He also served as Canadian Embassy Liaison to US Forces Korea/UN Command, co-hosted with the  US Embassy the annual North Korea Watchers Conference attended by diplomatic, military and intelligence experts and led the Canadian Delegation. Mr. Trottier played a leading role in securing the timely South Korean ratification of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement and in organizing the exchange of official visits by the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of South Korea; he was the lead negotiator of the Joint Statement/Joint Declaration for each visit.

Mr. Trottier’s full biography can be found here: https://www.cgai.ca/james_trottier

EVENT LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85100717953?pwd=S1VKTWtYZmV6YXNldExoWHBXcFdIUT09