Predictably Unpredictable
When I wrote my last message to the readers of bout de papier, I anticipated that 2024 would be a complex and unpredictable year. Many months later that seems to have been an understatement. While the war in Ukraine was still ongoing as was the conflict in Gaza, I could not have anticipated the twists […]
PAFSO Turns 60
As President of PAFSO, it was a great pleasure to chair our 59th Annual General Meeting on October 21. In addition to welcoming Ashely Durec, Trish Chang, Marc-André Desmarais, and Zach Campbell to our Executive Committee, we also adopted our second-ever strategic plan. The new plan will guide us through the celebration of our 60th […]
Ping-pong Diplomacy
In my 20 years at IRCC I’ve engaged in many a cathartic gripe-fest with colleagues in relation to mysterious creatures whose habits and mannerisms we find difficult to comprehend: our Foreign Service cousins at GAC. “How can they be so obstinate/naïve/pushy?” the refrain might go, concluding with a shake of the head and the conclusion […]
Through the Eyes of bout de papier
This year, I was fortunate enough to work with PAFSO as a summer student to assist with a huge archival project for bout de papier. My main task was to create a digital archive of the magazine, while also picking out articles for an upcoming book project celebrating PAFSO’s 60th anniversary. So, after 10 weeks […]
Un abus de confiance
Une des tâches que je préfère comme présidente de l’Association professionnelle des agents du Service extérieur (l’APASE), c’est l’accueil des nouvelles recrues. Ces personnes brillantes et talentueuses, mettent leurs compétences et leur énergie au service d’une profession qui exige l’excellence, souvent dans des conditions difficiles et dangereuses. Et pourtant, alors que j’étais debout face à […]
NATO: Does Life Begin at 40?
This piece was originally published in 1989, in bout de papier volume 7 number 1, to mark the 40-year anniversary of NATO. Now, with NATO in its 75th year, we hope this article will yield brand new insights. This is a year of many anniversaries. 50 years ago, the most destructive war the world has […]
The Shallow Callousness of Youth
David showed up in class one day at E. B. Nesbitt Primary School wearing bell bottoms. I had never heard of bell bottoms and found this new development unnerving. David’s last name escapes me, but I do remember that “Hey Jude” was big that same week. And that some girls in my grade 6 class […]
Breaking the Non-Person Shell
Two years ago, before going to New Delhi on my first posting with my husband and knowing little about living abroad, I had a call with another spouse who had previously lived in Pakistan with her husband. “Just be aware of the lack of spousal support,” was her recurring message to me. At the time, […]
Exit Interview: Robin Wettlaufer
No condition is permanent and there comes a time in every Foreign Service Officer’s life where they move on – whether it’s to retirement, promotion or greener pastures. How can we capture the knowledge, experience and wisdom they have acquired? Enter the Exit Interview. A Foreign Service Officer since 2002, Robin Wettlaufer moved up to […]
The 1968 Tet Offensive in Saigon
Supervising a Peace that Never Was: Recollections of Canadian Diplomatic Personnel in Indochina, 1954–1973 is an edited volume of essays by former diplomatic personnel who were assigned to international commissions in Indochina to initially oversee the implementation of the Geneva Accords in 1954 (the ICSC) and in 1973 to ensure adherence to the Paris Peace […]
