Global Affairs Canada (GAC; French: Affaires mondiales Canada, or AMC) (legal name: Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development) is the department in the Government of Canada that manages Canada's diplomatic and consular relations, to encourage the country's international trade, and to lead Canada's international development and humanitarian assistance. It is also responsible for maintaining Canadian government offices abroad with diplomatic and consular status on behalf of all government departments.
The department has undergone numerous name changes and re-organizations in recent years. Within the past decade, it has been known as Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867, while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically, the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across the world's longest international border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care, education, social services, and economic competitiveness, as well as responding to the particular concerns of predominantly francophone Quebec.
