Jill Sinclair

Biography

Jill Sinclair has been a member of Canada’s defence, international security and foreign policy community for most of her professional career. She was appointed by the Chief of Defence Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defence as Canada’s representative to the Ukraine Defence Reform Advisory Board. In 2019, she led preparations for Canada’s hosting of the Toronto Ukraine Reform Conference as Senior Official for Global Affairs Canada. She served for seven years as Assistant Deputy Minister Policy at the Dept of National Defence and was Executive Director Strategic Leadership and Engagement at the Canadian Defence Academy.

Prior to her work at DND, she was Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet at PCO’s Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat, and acting advisor to the Prime Minister for a period. She joined government as a Foreign Service Office, with postings in Prague, Havana and the Middle East – as Canada’s envoy to the Middle East Peace Process. She was Director General of the International Security Bureau and Director of the Arms Control, Disarmament and Verification division at Global Affairs. In addition to international crisis and issue management, Jill has developed and led strategic policy initiatives and international and whole of government processes in the areas of: national and international security and national defence; regional security dialogues and human security; arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament as well as defence governance and reform. She has worked closely with the UN system, NATO and the OSCE as well as the Organization of American States and ASEAN Regional Forum. She led the Ottawa Process to Ban Landmines and Responsibility to Protect (R2P). She was a proud member of the Air Cadets and went on to gain her Commission as a CIL officer (Lt.) teaching leadership as well as theory of flight and meteorology.

She is a keen amateur cellist and guitarist and avid lover of Canadian winters.