Lawrence Hanson

Deputy Minister

Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

On June 3, 2024, Lawrence Hanson was appointed Deputy Minister (DM) of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).

Prior to joining AAFC, Lawrence Hanson was Associate Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) since November 2022. He played a crucial role in advancing ECCC’s important mandate, helped achieve progress on the climate change agenda, and supported departmental networks.

Previously, Lawrence served as Associate Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, as well as several Assistant Deputy Minister roles, including Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy at Transport Canada, Assistant Deputy Minister of Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications Sector and then of Science and Innovation (both at Innovation, Science and Economic Development).

He held several positions at Environment Canada between 2004 and 2013.

Lawrence received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Studies from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Speaking: