Frank Petrie
Born in Corner Brook in 1929 and raised in Grand Falls, Frank loved the outdoors, fishing and his extensive collection of stamps. He was very proud of his Newfoundland roots and remembered fondly his youth on the Rock, his parents and the…
Georges Flanagan Whalen
Georges Flanagan Whalen was a gentleman and a gentle man. Indeed, thèse two words were reflected in almost every message of condolence and remembrance that followed his sudden death on January 29, 2017. Ces messages comprennent celui du collègue Sébastien Carrière :…
Michael Dougall Bell
Michael Bell, who died August 25, was described by Globe and Mail correspondent Patrick Martin as “the face of Canadian diplomacy in the Middle East”.
Paul Durand
Paul Durand joined the Canadian International Development Agency in 1975 after a career in private banking. Following a posting as First Secretary (Development) in Barbados (1976-78), he moved to the Privy Council Office before becoming Director of CIDA’s Tanzania Program (1983-87), He…
Testing Turing
Everyone who looks at a new scene sees it differently. Effie remembers the giant Fluevog strap-ons in white satin. Bugbyte spent the whole time trying to figure out how the tattoos worked. Me, I remember the flying pinball machine at the end.…
Sexual Orientation and the Foreign Service
AS THE PRIME MINISTER STRESSED in his apology last November for the gay purges and other discriminatory measures against members of the LGBTQ2 community, the end of the purges did not end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the Public…
The Hungry Diplomat: Bread
BREAD When I tell people I make my own bread, most get a look that says I’m either magical or crazy. They don’t realize that grocery stores and bakeries don’t have the monopoly on making a basic, simple combination of ingredients that…
Diplomat, Dissident, Spook
WRITING IN THE TORONTO STAR many years ago, James Eayrs, the then-celebrated University of Toronto political scientist, described the induction ritual for newly minted Foreign Service Officers with his usual provocative flourish. Probationary officers, he wrote, were led to a chamber in…
Potholes and Politics
JOHN GRAHAM HAS BEEN DOODLING all his life, his sketching stretching from Soviet missiles in Cuba at the height of cold war to lethal potholes in Manor Park in the depth of cold winter.
Re-imagining Capitalism
Mumbai is a late night town. Typically, Bollywood does not start work until late in the afternoon. Business dinners start at 10 p.m. Visiting Canadian ministers are often not received at Varsha, the chief minister’s official guest house, until even later.
