Canada and the New World Order / Le Canada et le nouvel ordre mondial
In the past year we have been exposed to a barrage of references to a “new world order”, and the PAFSO Professional Committee was quick off the mark to help members to define what this is all about, and what it means…
Political Rights for Public Servants: “A Delicate Balance”
The issue of political rights for public servants has long been a matter of considerable debate resulting primarily from two competing philosophies. On the one hand, the tradition of a politically neutral and impartial public service is viewed as an essential component…
Distressed Canadian: A Tale
It was no nine days’ wonder. It was only a small part of work “as usual” in the life of the Canadian High Commission in Wellington, New Zealand.
A Swiss Bank Account: Do You Need One?
A recent article on “Swiss Banking” by Betty Lee in the March issue of Canadian Business caught my attention. I was always under the impression that Swiss bank accounts were designed exclusively for the very rich or for characters in spy novels…
“Quelques arpents de neige …”
Pushing my canoe out towards a nearby iceberg to hack off chunks of ice for cocktails was perhaps not the standard preparation for life in the foreign service. However, it did provide me with training in creative thinking to solve a recurrent…
Madame Pauline Vanier : Ambassadrice à Paris
Après son décès, madame Vanier a été l’objet d’éloges tant pour le rôle qu’elle a joué comme châtelaine de Rideau Hall pendant les années où son époux, le Général Vanier, y occupa la charge de Gouverneur-général du Canada, que pour le rôle…
Interview with Rick Hansen
Many of us had the pleasure of meeting Rick and Amanda Hansen during the “Man in Motion” tour. I had the added privilege of being associated with them when he served as Canadian Commissioner General at Expo 88.
Constitution-Building in Namibia: Could it Happen Here?
“In the process of negotiating, bargaining and hammering out this constitution, the Namibians developed a special Namibian way of resolving internal differences and contradictions. The method is:
A “New Internationalism”?
Some Canadian governments consider it desirable to encapsulate the thrust of their foreign policy in code words or phrases. Mackenzie King was anxious that his government should be recognized internationally, after the Second World War, as enjoying authority as well as status.…
The Howling Cats of Moscow
(Editor’s Note: This article is a chapter from Sidney Freifeld’s book Undiplomatic Notes: Tales from the Canadian Foreign Service, with illustrations by Susan Macartney, published by Hounslow Press, Toronto which has gone into a second printing.)
