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Bernard Etzinger joined The Ottawa Hospital as its Chief Communications and Outreach Officer in August 2016.

Before that he worked in the federal government’s Privy Council Office, as the lead on Digital Strategy and Consultations in its Central Innovation Hub.

He was the senior executive responsible for communications for two federal departments: Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada as well as the Canadian International Development Agency, where he was also a Director General in the Afghanistan Task Force.

Bernard joined the Foreign Service in 1995 and served in New York, Silicon Valley, Washington D.C. and in various positions in Ottawa, including Director of Continental Defence Relations in the Foreign Affairs Department.

In Washington, Bernard was spokesperson for three Canadian ambassadors to the United States, developing and executing U.S. public advocacy strategies on files such as softwood lumber, border, agricultural, defence, security and other issues, all through the lens of the post-9/11 relationship between Canada and the United States.

Bernard participates actively in his community as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Salus, a charity providing sustainable housing to people with severe mental illness, and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. He is also a former president of the Ottawa Royals Soccer Club. He has degrees in Political Science and History from Carleton University.

Last updated on: March 11th, 2020