Bio
Raquel Garbers is a CIGI visiting executive from the Department of National Defence (DND), where she held the role of director general, strategic defence policy, since April 2018. She served as the principal architect of Canada’s new defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free; led the policy development process for developing election transition materials for new incoming governments; and represented Canada on the team that led the US-led multilateral initiative Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience. In her time at DND, she also held the position of deputy director general, international security policy. In this position, Raquel spearheaded the development of advice on Canada’s strategic defence posture with allies/partners and accompanied the minister of national defence and chief of the defence staff on international engagements as their principal policy advisor. Her areas of specialty include strategic military effects, geopolitical assessment and grey zone conflict. She is a frequent speaker on international affairs.
Raquel began her career at the Privy Council Office, where she served on a small team providing strategic advice on managing the international aspects of Canada’s national unity strategy. She then moved to the security and intelligence field, where she held a number of increasingly senior posts, including positions as an intelligence analyst, the senior officer for Cabinet affairs on national security and foreign policy issues, and the senior advisor to the prime minister’s national security advisor.
Raquel holds a B.A. (Hons.) in political science from Toronto’s York University, an M.A. in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University and a certificate in French language studies from Laval University.