David Sproule

David Sproule is a civil servant in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Government of Canada currently serving as Canada's Ambassador to Thailand.

Family background

David William Sproule was born in 1956 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is the second son to Cecil and Margaret Sproule, and the younger brother of John. His father, Cecil, born at Carrivetragh House in County Monaghan, Ireland was the second of seven brothers. Cecil grew up on a farm outside of Calgary, Alberta, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, and subsequently became an officer in the Edmonton Police Service until retirement. His mother, born Margaret Stapleton, whose family farmed near Fort McLeod, Alberta, died in 1959. Cecil later married Selma Komant and together they had David's only sister, Celma Gwen.

In 1976, he married Doreen Smith, also from Edmonton, Alberta. They moved to Ottawa, Ontario after David joined the Federal Public Service. In 1983 they had their first child Graham. David's career in DFAIT took his family to Singapore, where their second child Sarah was born in 1984. After remaining in Ottawa, Ontario for some years, they would move to Thailand. Their family expanded in Thailand, where three Thai children joined the family in 1991, 1992, and 1993. This included two girls, Laura and Leigha, and one boy, Thomas. In 1994, his family would come to live in Rockville, Maryland. They returned to Ottawa, Ontario in 1998. In 2004, David Sproule moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh and in 2005 to Kabul Afghanistan. After moving to Bangkok, Thailand in 2007, he married Angelina Isaac of Dhaka, Bangladesh. They have four children, Davin, Dennis, Dillon, and Adeline.

(More information about David Sproule's genealogy may be found in "A Sproule Family of Ireland and Canada" by Albert Frederick Sproule.)

Education and career

A graduate of the University of Alberta (BA (Hons) & LL.B), in 1981 he joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. His first foreign assignment as a diplomat was to the Canadian high commission in Singapore. His second assignment abroad was to the Canadian embassy in Thailand where he served from 1989 to 1993 as First Secretary. His next appointment outside of headquarters was to the Canadian embassy in Washington D.C., where he served another four-year tenure as Counsellor.

Upon returning to Ottawa, Ontario in 1997, he briefly served in the Privy Council Office before returning to DFAIT where he worked in various positions, including "Director of the Oceans and Environmental Law Division", and "Director of the Human Rights, UN, and Economic Law Division". From 1999 until 2005 Mr. Sproule served as Canada's Deputy Agent in the International Court of Justice case "Legality of the Use of Force: Yugoslavia v. Canada".

David Sproule, in 2004, was appointed Canada's High Commissioner to Bangladesh. In 2005, he was appointed as Canada's Ambassador to Afghanistan. He was appointed the Canadian Ambassador to Thailand in 2007.

David Sproule has written a number of articles on international law that are contained in Canadian law journals.Fact|date=May 2008

External links

* [http://www.canada-afghanistan.gc.ca/menu-en.asp Protecting Canadians - Rebuilding Afghanistan ] - Government of Canada Web Site Highlight Canadian Efforts to Help Rebuilt Afghanistan
* [http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/afghanistan/ Canada and Afghanistan ] - Government of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Web Site of its Embassy in Afghanistan
* [http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/afghanistan/about_embassy-en.asp#ambassador About the Embassy] - Biographical Sketch of Ambassador David Sproule from the Above Web Site