Quebec businesswoman Isabelle Hudon named new ambassador to France

OTTAWA — Quebec businesswomen Isabelle Hudon has been named Canada’s new ambassador to France.

She replaces former Conservative MP Lawrence Cannon, who announced in June he would be leaving the post this month.

Hudon had been executive chair of Sun Life Financial Quebec and senior vice-president, client solutions, for Sun Life Financial Canada.

From 2004 to 2008, Hudon was president and chief executive officer of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and then served as president of Marketel until joining Sun Life Financial.

Cannon, a former Conservative foreign affairs minister, was named ambassador by then-prime minister Stephen Harper in 2012.

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His term was to have expired last spring, but was quietly extended.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada-France relations are based on strong cultural ties and a commitment to shared goals.

“Canada and France are true partners and true friends, much of which can be attributed to what we share — a common language, a common history and a common set of values,” she said in a statement.

Cannon marked his departure with a tweet: “Ending my mandate … inspired by all the encounters I made, honoured to have served my country as ambassador. Thank you @CanEmbFrance.”

The Canadian Press