The Embassy of Canada in Berlin

Contact

Address
Embassy of Canada in Berlin
Leipziger Platz 17
D- 10117 Berlin

Phone Number
+49 (0)30 20 312 - 0

Website
www.international.gc.ca

E-Mail
Brlin@international.gc.ca

Charge d’Affaire

H.E. Vera Alexander

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H.E. Vera Alexander is a distinguished Canadian diplomat and public servant with over three decades of extensive experience in international affairs, diplomacy, and public administration. Born on September 18, 1970, she built her academic foundation at the University of Toronto, earning a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in International Relations. Her professional journey began in 1995 when she joined the Department of External Affairs, launching a prolific career that would see her take on vital international assignments in major global capitals, including strategic postings in London, Washington D.C., and Moscow. Throughout her career, she has excelled in high-level management and security policy roles, serving as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and later as the Deputy Permanent Representative to the Joint Delegation of Canada to NATO.

Between 2006 and 2008, she lent her strategic expertise to the Privy Council Office as a senior advisor for Canada’s mission to Afghanistan, and she later served as the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister of People and Talent Management at Global Affairs Canada, focusing heavily on the modernization of human resources within the foreign service. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to public service and foreign affairs, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. In September 2025, she was appointed as Canada's ambassador to Germany, and she formally presented her credentials to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on November 20, 2025. Fluent in English, French, and Russian, her current mandate in Berlin centers on strengthening transatlantic defense and security cooperation, advancing trade diversification, and expanding bilateral collaboration on critical global issues.

History

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Bilateral relations are cordial. Canada is an important North American friend and ally and is receptive to European and German interests as a result of its history and national vision. Canada and Germany share common values and fundamental convictions. Germany and Canada are linked by their active involvement in international bodies and organizations, especially in issues of security and disarmament, human rights, humanitarian activities and peacekeeping operations. It is in Germany’s interest for Canada to maintain its strong commitment to Europe as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Mutual official visits are frequent. Federal President Gauck visited Canada in September 2014, the first such visit in 24 years. Then Canadian Prime Minister Harper paid a visit to Germany in March 2014. Federal Chancellor Merkel travelled to Ottawa on the 9th of February 2015, holding talks with Prime Minister Harper on the agenda during Germany’s G7 presidency. She had previously paid a bilateral visit to Canada in August 2012.

Bilateral economic relations are untroubled but the volume of trade fails to match the potential of the two countries’ economies. In 2014, German exports to Canada were worth EUR 8.6 billion and German imports from Canada EUR 3.4 billion. In German foreign trade statistics, Canada ranks 28th among buyers of German exports and 38th as a supplier of German imports. By contrast, Germany is for Canada the fifth most important exporter of goods and the eighth most important importer of goods. Germany’s main exports to Canada are motor vehicles and vehicle parts and machinery. Its principal imports from Canada are raw materials. In addition, the two countries supply each other with electrical and optical goods and chemical products.

Canada and Germany concluded a double taxation agreement in 2002, superseding that of 1981. A Framework Agreement for Commercial and Economic Cooperation has been in force between the European Union and Canada since 1976, an accord on cooperation in science and technology since 1995, a wine and spirits agreement since 2003 and an air transport agreement since 2009. Negotiations on the text of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) were concluded in September 2014. The signing and ratification of the agreement are in preparation.