International offices: guide

Ottawa

The Scottish Government office in Ottawa opened in October 2018 and is located in the British High Commission. There are also Scottish Development International (SDI) Trade and Investment staff located across the Americas including a physical presence in Calgary and Toronto.

Our office in Canada works to:

• protect and enhance Scotland’s interests and strengthen Scottish/Canadian intergovernmental relations, by identifying and influencing issues of mutual interest for bilateral cooperation
• share information with Canadian partners around areas of excellence where Scotland has developed significant policies e.g. the Arctic Framework, climate change and social enterprise
• support in-country and Scottish-based partners (including Scottish Development International, VisitScotland, Scottish Higher Education institutions, Creative Scotland, British Council and others) to find opportunities to promote Scotland’s cultural, education, tourism, trade and investment offers
• facilitate innovation and research collaboration through our partners
• engage, inform and develop networks with Scottish diaspora across Canada

We continue to support bilateral collaboration to deliver collective goals and economic benefit for Scotland, through the promotion of modern-day Scotland and emphasis on our global leadership role.

Find out more about the Scotland is Now campaign that we use to support our efforts in delivering this work.

Scotland’s engagement strategy with Canada

Strategic objectives

Priorities for 2023 to 2024

Building and strengthening relationships:

• progress and mature the relationship with the Canadian Federal Government and parliament, including the Canada-Scotland Parliamentary Friendship Group
• extend, develop, and strengthen relationships with provincial, territorial, and First Nations governments, as well as NGOs, think tanks, cultural organizations, and other stakeholders across Canada's 13 provinces and territories
• enhance Scotland's cultural legacy through our engagement with festivals such as Celtic Colours
• strengthen our relationship with Indigenous representatives through the return of the Nisga’a memorial pole
• build on provincial government-to-government connections with a Cabinet Secretary visit to Nova Scotia
• develop a delivery plan for Scottish connections in Canada encompassing diaspora, academia, alumni, and societies
• build our engagement with Scottish Studies/Gaelic higher education departments across the country, such as at Guelph University

Contributing to Scotland's trade and investment objectives:

• position our economic, trade, and prosperity work streams under a green energy approach in line with Canadian government subsidies for green investment
• establish an MOU with Ontario focused on energy, transport (zero emission vehicles and hydrogen)
• build our climate work with other provincial governments such as Quebec (COP/Under2 engagement), Nova Scotia (tidal), and British Columbia (ZEVs/Under2)

Contributing to Scotland's climate change, biodiversity, and renewable energy objectives:

• deliver enhanced activity with the Canadian Arctic through a climate/energy lens
• build on the trip to Yukon in 2022/23 by engaging at official level at the Arctic Circle Assembly

See previous strategic objectives in our website archive.

Contact

Head of Ottawa office: John Devine

Email: ScottishAffairsCanada@fco.gov.uk

Twitter/X: @ScotGovCanada

Instagram: @ScotGovCanada

Telephone (Reception): +1 613 237 1530

Post:

Scottish Government Ottawa Office
British High Commission
80 Elgin St
Ottawa
ON K1P 5K7
Canada