bout de papier, Vol. 11, No. 3 (1994) — Fall 1994 // Automne 1994, p. 38
The 1994 Foreign Service Officer Awards were presented on June 15 to four officers: Ian Burchett, Canada’s Vice-Consul and Assistant Trade Commissioner in Monterrey, Mexico, Claudette Deschênes, Deputy Director with Personnel for the International Service Group of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Denis Grégoire de Blois, Middle East Relations Division at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and Carolyn McMaster, Deputy Director, Eastern and Southern Africa Relations Division at theDepartment of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Ian Burchett won the Award for his outstanding performance in making Canadian business and industry a significant force in the economically important region of Monterrey, in northeastern Mexico. His efforts came at a critical time, with Canadian business interest in Mexico soaring as a result of economic changes in Mexico and the negotiation and passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Claudette Deschênes received an Award for the exceptional support she provided to immigration managers abroad working bout de papier Vol. under difficult, stressful conditions. The past two years have been a period of tremendous change for immigration officers. As Deputy Director, Personnel, Ms. Deschênes had an important role in managing the transition of the International Service Group to Citizenship and Immigration and in handling many sensitive personnel issues. In accepting her Award, Ms. Deschênes gave tribute to her family and to the many people she has worked with over her thirteen year career. She made a plea to senior management to recognize how stretched are human resources in both departments. She asked her foreign service colleagues to concentrate on working together to serve Canadian interests better, and reminded her International Service colleagues that “We are an integral part of the Foreign Service and we must stop worrying about the future and move forward to shape it. It is in our hands”
Denis Grégoire de Blois won his Award for his extraordinary work over four years in promoting human rights in Syria, in relation to members of the Syrian Jewish community. His familiarity with Middle East culture and knowledge of Arabic gave him unique access to the leadership of that community and allowed him to make approaches at all levels of the Syrian government. In accepting the Award, Mr. Grégoire de Blois recalled the 1990 Security Council debate on Soviet Jewish emigration. At that time, Canada reiterated its support for the right to leave any country, including one’s own. Mr. Grégoire de Blois hoped that this recognition of the freedom of movement might be a harbinger of a just peace for the region as a whole.
Carolyn McMaster received an Award for her outstanding role in helping to develop and implement Canadian foreign policy during a time of unprecedented change in South Africa. Her initiative and leadership have been recognized by the Canadian NGO community, the democratic movement in South Africa, within the Commonwealth Secretariat and among decision-makers in Canada as having played a substantial role in winning for Canada its well-deserved reputation for constructive and effective support of peaceful negotiation and fundamental change. In accept her Award, Ms. McMaster praised the work of her colleagues in this and other government departments for their contributions in what she deemed to be a truly team effort.
The Awards dinner was held this year at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and the Awards were presented by the Deputy Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Peter Harder, and by Jake Warren, retired Ambassador and former Deputy Minister of the Department of Trade and Commerce, Michael Shenstone, retired Ambassador, and Daniel Jean, Director of Immigration Control, International Service Group and former Award winner. Judges for this year’s Awards were Meriel V.M. Bradford, Assistant Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, Teleglobe Canada Inc., Marie-Claude Lortie, President of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, Timothy Reid, President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Terry Sheehan, formerly Assistant Deputy Minister, Immigration Operations and High Commissioner to Jamaica and Ambassador to Turkey, James H. (Si) Taylor, former USSEA and Ambassador to NATO and Japan and currently Chancellor of McMaster University.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 11, No. 3 (1994) — Fall 1994 // Automne 1994, p. 38. Read the rest of this issue →
