KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canada has a new civilian face in Afghanistan.

Tim Martin has taken up the post of the federal representative of Canada in Kandahar.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says Martin will guide Canada's major aid priorities in Kandahar province, where the Canadian combat mission is slated to end next July.

The Conservative government says the country's aid work will continue after the military mission ends, and Martin will oversee that transition during his one-year posting.

A former ambassador to Argentina and Paraguay and director of Foreign Affairs' Peacebuilding and Human Security division, Martin will help organize projects like the repair of the massive Dahla Dam and liaise with Afghan officials in Kandahar.

The camp where the Provincial Reconstruction Team operates in Kandahar city was officially handed over to the United States on Friday, but Canada will continue to operate out of the base.