bout de papier, Vol. 9, No. 4 (1992) — Fall 1992 // Automne 1992, p. 2
The arrival of fall, resolution of the perennial posting cycle, and the annual general meeting of the PAFSO membership, inevitably result in change in the membership of bout de papier’s Editorial Board. Members depart on foreign assignments; others have returned from abroad. Whatever the reason, this constant process of change and renewal keeps us au courant of the evolving Foreign Service perspective both at headquarters and abroad. This is beneficial to the magazine and to the Senior Managements of External Affairs and International Trade and of Employment and Immigration because it provides a rare insight into the current status of the Foreign Service and its role in the evolution and practices of Canadian foreign policy around the world.
We wish to say farewell to Richard Belliveau who is now our Consul General in Shanghai; Phillip Lupul who is presently on immigration assignment in Seattle; John Hilliker who is keeping the departmental record straight in BMLH (the Historical Section); and Shig Uyeyama who is on a political assignment in Abidjan. Without their hard work and boundless enthusiasm, the magazine could not have been so successful.
At the same time, we wish to welcome returning and new members on the Editorial Board: David Anido who has returned from assignment in Tokyo; Hector Mackenzie who has joined us from the Historical Section (BMLH) to keep our book reviews up to the high standards of his predecessor; Laurel Pardy who has returned from San Jose and who brings the spousal and family perspective to our pages; and Hugh Stephens who has returned from assignment in Seoul and rejoined the Editorial Board. Welcome to one and all!
In furtherance of maintaining a strong bond between the current and former members of the Foreign Service, we are also very pleased to have on the Editorial Board Arthur Menzies, a former Ambassador to China and a strong link with RHOMA (the Retired Heads of Mission Association); and Douglas Small, a former High Commissioner to New Zealand and Ambassador to Pakistan. They are active focal points between those who generate ideas and articles for the magazine and the need for ensuring quality, accuracy, and fact checking. Both Messrs Menzies and Small carry out a critical role in maintaining an ongoing liaison with their Foreign Service colleagues, friends, and members of the Senior Editorial Board. Their presence ensures a continuity which otherwise would be difficult to maintain between past and present members of the Foreign Service.
In terms of upcoming themes which bout de papier will be pursuing over the coming months, we will focus on: the evolving role of diplomacy and the Foreign Service; the particular prospects and changing role for the political and economic stream; whether there will continue to be a need for the traditional analytic and reporting function of the diplomat; professionalism — whether the FS occupational group is a “profession” like any other in the Government (eg. like economists or lawyers), including responsibility, accountability, training, and remuneration; on the management side, how External Affairs can be “flattened” to enable Foreign Service Officers to carry out their functions without constant revisionism and sanitization through the political and bureaucratic hierarchy; the evolving concept of peacekeeping and the changing military role and their impacts on political and security foreign policy objectives; Canadian foreign policy priorities (and non-priorities) for the 21st century; the Foreign Service Institute — its role as it views it and as others view it; management of diversity issues; the changing nature of the family and its impact on rotationality; spousal employment; and employment equity – proposals for monitoring, assessing, and ensuring that External Affairs and Employment and Immigration implement the Government’s objectives in this field with respect to their employees. These are just a few of the topics on which articles are currently being prepared for publication.
Naturally, bout de papier continues to seek contributions of broader interest such as travel, consular tales, trade, immigration, aid, humour, photography, poetry, cartoons and illustrations which appeal to the readership and the members of the Foreign Service. That being said, we certainly welcome additional contributions and suggestions from our readers. bout de papier will continue to present the story of life in the Foreign Service and the evolution of Canadian diplomacy as they really are without printing propaganda for one side or the other, or for the union. We will continue to present solid reporting and analysis on subjects of interest. While we do not deliberately set out to be sensational, we will not shy away from controversy should it arise.
Ottawa, November 1992
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 9, No. 4 (1992) — Fall 1992 // Automne 1992, p. 2. Read the rest of this issue →
