The Department has two Ministers (the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for International Trade) and one Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade - Sport. It also has three Parliamentary Secretaries (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and to the Minister of International Cooperation; Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics). In addition, it has an Inspector General and a Chief Audit Executive. The Department's portfolio consists of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Export Development Canada (EDC), the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Secretariat (Canadian Section), and the Rights and Democracy organization.

The Department fulfills its mandate through three main functions and activities: Canada's International Agenda, which provides policy advice and coordination as well as conducting diplomacy and advocacy for the benefit of Canada and Canadians, while reflecting the country's interests and values; International Services for Canadians, which assists Canadians through the provision of international commercial, consular and passport services; and Canada's International Platform, which manages a network of missions abroad on behalf of the Government of Canada.

Internal Services such as Corporate Secretariat, Human Resources, Legal Services, Communications, Corporate Finance Operations are also provided in support of the departmental program activities.

International Policy Advice and Integration
The Department provides strategic direction, intelligence and advice on foreign policy and economic issues; researches and analyzes foreign and trade policy issues, drawing on input from across the Department as well as from federal partners; develops related policies and programs to address those issues; and ensures coherence, integration and coordination of foreign and trade policies and programs across government.

Diplomacy and Advocacy
In delivering international programs and diplomacy, the Department's officials engage Canadian stakeholders and partners as well as foreign governments and international players. This includes raising awareness and understanding of Canada's policies, interests and values as they pertain to the government's international agenda. It also includes delivering international programs on Canada's behalf to address specific international issues.

International Services for Canadians

International Commerce
The Department works to expand the participation of Canadian business in world markets and increase its interaction with global business partners. It provides advice, assistance and support to Canadian Businesses worldwide. It also promotes Canada as a competitive location and partner for investment, innovation and value-added production and ensures that trade is conducted in compliance with the Export/Import Permit Act while also ensuring that Canadians are safe.

Consular Affairs
The Department prepares Canadians for international travel by providing information and advice on safe travel to foreign countries. It also helps Canadians abroad to handle trouble or emergencies through Headquarters-provided Services and Mission-provided Services.

Passport Canada

Passport Canada is a special operating agency that focuses on the management and delivery of passport services. It is responsible for the issuance, revocation, refusal, recovery and use of Canadian passports. Although the Passport Office is a special operating agency, the head of the institution as defined under the Access to Information and Privacy Acts is the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Canada's International Platform
The Department manages and delivers common services to all federal departments and partners that have representation at Canada's missions abroad.

This is done through Headquarters-based Services and Headquarters-based Infrastructure.

The Department ensures that common services are in place at missions and coordinates them on site to support the international operations of the entire Government of Canada as well as that of other partners that have representation at the missions. This is done through mission-based services and mission-based infrastructure delivered at missions abroad.

The International Platform Branch is also responsible for two major services which are also provided as internal services. These are the information management and information technology services and mail and distribution services which are provided for both headquarters and the regional offices.

Internal Services

Communications
The Communications activities with the Department are divided into two separate functions, one for Foreign Affairs and the other for International Trade. Both sides are responsible for supporting management in providing effective two-way communication between the Department and its employees, and with the Canadian public and stakeholders. This helps ensure the public is well informed of the Department's activities and allows the Department to take into consideration the concerns and views of the public in all its activities.

Communications – Foreign Affairs
The Communications Bureau for Foreign Affairs consists of the Foreign Policy and Corporate Communications Division, the Media Relations Division, the E-Communications, the Communications Products and Services Division, and the Enquiry Services Unit.

The Communications Bureau focuses on core communications priorities to communicate its key foreign policy, consular, and departmental corporate priorities both domestically and abroad, ensuring that themes are consistent and that delivery emphasizes a whole-of-government approach to a wide range of target audiences with divergent perspecitves and interests, in Canada and overseas.

The Communications Bureau, working cooperatively with other departmental colleagues, is strengthening the Department's capacity to send strategic foreign policy and corporate messages, and advocacy talking points to heads of mission and senior management on a proactive basis. The Bureau provides quality communications advice and services to ministers and officials on a wide range of issues, events and initiatives. It also ensures that Canadian and foreign media, as well as partners, receive timely and accurate information of importance to Canadians about the Department and international issues that relate to the government's priorities. In this regard, as with all communications activities, the Department is supported by public opinion research and 24/7 media monitoring to identify trends and to evaluate if our messaging is appropriate. The Bureau receives on average 112,000 public inquiries and 4,000 media inquiries yearly.

A strengthened E-communications and Services Division within the Bureau manages key departmental internet and intranet sites and brings better governance and cohesion to the Department's web presence. Last year, the Foreign Affairs and International Trade sites together drew over 17.5 million visitors. This Division also manages all of the Department's advertising campaigns, public opinion research and ensures that all publications reflect a common look and feel.

Internal communications pay particular attention to corporate messaging, working closely with Human Resources and employees. The Bureau is also strengthening communications guidance to senior management on sensitive corporate files, the Department's transformation agenda, and ensuring that our products and services reflect the Department's international priorities.

Communications – International Trade
The Communications Bureau for International Trade consists of the Foreign Policy and Corporate Communications Division, the Trade Communications Division, the Media Relations Office, the Outreach Programs and E-Communications Division and the Communications Services Division.

The Bureau is responsible for increasing awareness and understanding of Canada's foreign policy and international trade agenda among domestic and foreign audiences. It is also responsible for explaining the role of the Department to Canadians and recently added an internal communications function in order to foster a more productive working environment and forum for ideas at headquarters and at missions abroad.

More specifically, the Communications Bureau provides quality communications advice and services to Ministers and officials on issues, events and initiatives. It also ensures that Canadian and foreign media, as well as other partners, groups and individuals, receive timely and accurate information about the Department and international issues of importance to Canada. The Bureau organizes speaking tours and other outreach programs and activities, provides the Department with public opinion research and analysis, coordinates advertising and publishing, and promotes public understanding of the historical aspects of Canada's foreign relations.

Chief Audit Executive
The Chief Audit Executive is responsible for conducting internal audit in compliance with the Treasury Board Policy on internal audit. Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve the Department's operations. It helps the Department accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes.

Corporate Finance Operations
The Corporate Finance Operations headed by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible for the Department's financial planning, management and reporting to ensure that the Department provides the most effective stewardship of public funds. The CFO is also responsible for conducting strategic reviews of budgets and investments, providing resource management strategies and risk management frameworks to the Resource Management Committee.

Corporate Secretariat
The Corporate Secretariat advances the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada agenda and priorities by ensuring quality and timely advice is provided to the Ministers and Deputy Ministers related to all parliamentary, cabinet, correspondence and briefing products and services; managing the Department's governance structure; and coordinating activities that enable the Department to fulfill its obligations under the Access to Information and Privacy legislation.

Human Resources
Human Resources (HR) work in partnership with all parts of the Department to enable them to successfully meet their human resource requirements aiming to build a high performance, learning organization. It is responsible, either directly or functionally, for establishing an integrated framework of all human resource-related policies, programs, services, strategic advice and systems for the Department and provides functional guidance and support for HR operations. Responsibilities include classification and organization, staffing, pay and benefits, diversity and employment equity, official languages, learning and counseling, career development programs, awards and recognition, labour relations, human resources planning and strategies, and human resources information systems.

Inspector General
The Office of the Inspector General provides senior management with assessments of the overall governance, probity and performance of policies, programs and initiatives delivered by the Department. It also plays a key role in helping the Department adopt modern management principles and practices. Specific recommendations aimed at improving programs design and service delivery are derived from the following review functions: inspections, evaluations, special studies, investigations, advice and guidance consultations. Finally, the Office of the Inspector General provides guidance and advice on matters of values and ethics.

Legal Services
The Legal Services Units provides legal information and advice on the development and implementation of departmental programs, policies and operations. The Legal Services Units are made up of lawyers employed by the Department of Justice as well as the Department's lawyers in areas such as Trade Law; Security and Treaty Law; United Nations, Human Rights and Economic Law; and Ocean and Environmental Law.