Ottawa has named Bob Rae, a former Ontario premier and former federal Liberal interim leader, chair of the board of governors of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Secretary of State (International Development) Randeep Sarai announced the appointment on November 2. The government release says Rae recently served as Canada’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, and that he brings “extensive leadership experience” to the chair. It links his appointment to the centre’s mission of supporting research for sustainable development.

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Rae’s political record is long.

He was an NDP MP from 1978 to 1982 and led Ontario’s NDP government as premier from 1990 to 1995. He joined the Liberals in 2006, when he finished third in the leadership race. He ran again in 2008 and withdrew that December. He was elected Liberal MP for Toronto Centre in a 2008 byelection and was named interim leader in 2011 after the party’s defeat and Michael Ignatieff’s resignation.

He gave up the permanent leadership bid in 2012 and stepped down as an MP in 2013. The Liberal government named him Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations in 2020.

According to Elections Canada records, Rae has regularly donated to the Liberal Party, as recently as September.

The IDRC is a federal Crown corporation, established in 1970, that reports to Parliament through the secretary of state. Its board has up to 14 members. IDRC president Julie Delahanty welcomed the appointment in the release.