Norris Pettis was
appointed Canada's Consul General in the summer of 2006. A
former military officer, Mr. Pettis leads a group of seasoned
professionals in representing Canada's interests in a dynamic
region of the United States that includes Arkansas, Kansas,
Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
Mr. Pettis
graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1974 with a
Bachelor of Arts degree and later earned a Master of Business
Administration degree from Athabasca University. As an Infantry
officer, he was commissioned into Canada's Royal Canadian
Regiment and served in two of its three battalions as platoon
commander, company commander and eventually commanding officer
of the 1st Battalion. Committed largely to field work and
training, Mr. Pettis also taught at the Canadian Army Staff
College, where he was appointed dean.
Mr. Pettis'
international experience includes an exchange tour with the
British Army of the Rhine in Germany and two operational tours
of duty in Cyprus including command of his battalion in the
central sector of the island. He also completed a year-long tour
during the Balkan war as chief of staff for the Croatian theatre
of operations and as deputy commander of the Canadian contingent
deployed to the region. Mr. Pettis spent five years as Canada's
defence attaché covering seven countries in the Arabian Gulf
region. Notable among his staff appointments were his tour as
chief of operations and plans for the Canadian Army, director of
training for the Canadian Army and director of protocol and
foreign liaison for the Department of National Defence. Mr.
Pettis also had the unique experience of commanding Canada's
Northern military region.
