As Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird demonstrated his leadership on the world stage by championing freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Holding the position in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper from 2011 to 2015, Mr. Baird had previously served at the federal level as President of the Treasury Board, Minister of the Environment, and Minister of Transport. Mr. Baird spent three terms as a Member of Parliament, and four years as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as President of the Treasury Board, Minister of the Environment, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. Prior to entering federal politics, Mr. Baird spent ten years in the Ontario Legislature where he served as Minister of Community and Social Services, Minister of Energy, and Government House Leader. Currently, Mr. Baird serves as a Senior Business Advisor with Bennett Jones LLP, a premier Canadian law firm. In addition, he sits on the advisory board of Barrick Gold Corp. and the corporate boards of Canadian Pacific, Canadian Forest Products (Canfor), the FWD Group and PineBridge Investments. He also serves as a Global Strategic Advisor to Hatch Ltd, a Canadian global multidisciplinary management, engineering, and development consultancy, and is a Senior Advisor at Eurasia Group, a global political risk consultancy. Mr. Baird volunteers his time with Community Living Ontario, an organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities; the Prince's Charities -- the charitable office of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales; and is a board member of the Friends of Israel Initiative. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from Queen’s University.