It's Baird's first big trip as foreign minister, aside from a jaunt to the G8 summit in France last month. The visit comes at a time when the stalemate between Libyan dissident groups and Gadhafi forces have prompted questions about whether the NATO-led bombing campaign in Libya is working.
"It was important to me to come here and get the facts for myself," Baird told The Canadian Press. "We are doing our due diligence because that is what Canadians expect and the Libyan people require."
Canada recently joined European and Arab countries in recognizing the National Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
Baird spent half a day in rebel-held Benghazi to meet with the leader of the NTC, Mahmoud Jibril, as well as some of his colleagues.
The group is setting itself up as an alternative to long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi. But some of Canada's allies are concerned the council's military strength and political know-how are too thin to do the job.
Baird's main aim was to get a firm grip on how well-prepared the dissidents are to actually govern the country one day _ if Gadhafi is deposed.
"This is one of the many steps that need to happen as Canada and the NTC go forward together," Baird said.
His trip was kept secret until he left Libya so that his safety would not come under threat.
In Benghazi, Baird also met with non-governmental groups to see how Canada's humanitarian aid to Libya could be made most efficient. Ottawa has been pushing for women to be included in democracy-building efforts in a post-Gadhafi Libya.
After Benghazi, the minister travelled on to visit Canadian military forces stationed in Sicily who are spearheading the Canadian participation in the NATO-led bombing campaign of Libya.
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