"Canada in North America: Thoughts on Relationships Old and New"
A career diplomat, Peter Boehm joined the Canadian foreign service in 1981. His most recent assignment was Minister (Political and Public Affairs) at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. In 1997, he was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington. He has held a number of positions at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, including Director of the Economic Summit Division in the Policy Staff of the Department and Coordinator of the Halifax G-7 Economic Summit in 1995 as well as Director of the South America and Inter-American Division. His other headquarters work experience includes assignments in the United Nations Division, the Soviet and Eastern Europe Division, Western Europe Division and in the Personnel Bureau. Abroad, he has also been assigned to the Canadian Embassies in Havana and San José. In 1993 he received the Canadian Foreign Service Officer Award for his contribution to the establishment of peace in Central America.
While Ambassador to the OAS from 1997 to 2001, he also served as National Summit Coordinator for the Santiago and Québec City Summits of the Americas and Special Envoy for the OAS Democratization Mission in Peru. He was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, North America, in January 2005, and is a recent recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award, the most prestigious award in the Public Service of Canada. In 2005 he was named Personal Representative (Sherpa) of the Prime Minister for the Fourth Summit of the Americas. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.
Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Peter Boehm holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, a Master of Arts degree from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs of Carleton University in Ottawa and an Honours B.A. in English and History from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.