bout de papier, Vol. 24, No. 2 (2009) — Spring 2009 // Printemps 2009, p. 23
In Witold Weynerowski we have lost a fervent Canadian, an outstanding diplomat, an excellent sportsman, and a fine human being and family man.
Not many have entered the foreign service so well prepared: schooling at Ridley, followed by eight years and degrees from the University of Toronto (Trinity College), Oxford, Laval and the Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales at the University in Geneva; work experience with the Department of Finance and the Canadian Association of University Teachers; and fluency in four languages.
Witold’s posting to the Canadian Delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels coincided with a cloudy period in East-West relations including the Soviet repression of a reformist government in Prague and communist support for subversion in South Vietnam. Under the demanding supervision of Ambassador Ross Campbell, Witold worked successfully with older allied colleagues on committees devoted to analysis of the threat and preparation of western explanations of NATO’s purposes and strategies. In the long run these programmes were to contribute to the West’s success in the Cold War. Having been himself a refugee in wartime Holland, Wit brought idealism to his work; he enjoyed it all the more for being able to put his Dutch, French and German to good use.
A cross-posting as First Secretary and Consul in Tunis came with greater management responsibilities and laid the basis for a deep interest in the Arab world.
From 1975 to 1978 Wit served as Deputy Director of the Middle East Division, specializing in Arab-Israeli relations. Votes on UN resolutions, regional crises and domestic sensitivities and debates made this work one of the more challenging jobs at headquarters; he acquitted himself with distinction.
Today “polivalence” or experience in several different types of work is publicized as a desirable capacity for foreign service officers with ambition. The records of many such as Wit show that it is not as new as some seem to think. His service in the Commercial Policy Division led to a further assignment with the Department of Finance from 1978 to 1980. He participated in international negotiations on the Common Fund and became Secretary to the Canadian delegation to UNCTAD 5, one of the world’s major economic policy initiatives of those years.
In September 1980, only 14 years after joining External Affairs, Wit went to Baghdad as Head of Post. The Iran-Iraq War had broken out, making reporting of immediate importance. Under the harsh rule of Saddam Hussein and in wartime conditions of tension and suspense, life was difficult, with bombs landing nearby and terrorist incidents keeping the population off balance. The Embassy provided headquarters with early and accurate reporting, not least thanks to the Ambassador’s ability to obtain more travel authority than other foreign colleagues. Special assistance was given to businessmen and other Canadians.
Sometimes viewed as rewards or plums, service abroad is in fact often no picnic, but Wit preferred it because of his interest in grasping the nuances of other cultures and transmitting and exploiting what is relevant to Canada. In his next head-of-post assignment, this time to Tunis, he managed an embassy with a range of responsibilities — deepening relations with an Arab country seen by some as a model of moderation, discussions on francophonie as a component of national unity, a substantial aid programme, growing commercial relations, and reporting on the Palestine Liberation Front and the Arab League, then headquartered in Tunisia. The closeness of his relations with local leaders — something in which his wife Evelyn gave him strong support, as with everything else — set a standard and helped give Canada a special role. He was also responsible for Libya and visited that country regularly, assisting Canada’s commercial and energy relations.
Wit’s interest in Africa awakened, he expanded his horizons back in Ottawa by taking over the Anglophone Africa and subsequently its francophone partner division. He brought an idealistic dimension to these areas, convinced there were longterm national interests on this vast continent and agreeing that Canadians of all persuasions could together make an important contribution. Those years saw large-scale famines which Canada helped mitigate and regional crises involving Canadians in challenges which the divisions managed with efficiency. In the fall of 1982 he collaborated in the organization of the Canadian government’s first charter flight to rescue citizens abroad.
This major African chapter was a fitting conclusion to a successful and satisfying career. Wit brought a moral dimension to his work, placing human rights in the forefront while applying an ability to appraise situations realistically and within varying cultural frameworks, in the highest traditions of the Canadian service he loved so much.
In his private life Wit was proud of his five children; a sociable individual, he had a talent for friendship and maintained relations with many at home and in countries he had studied or served in. In retirement he explored his family’s origins in Poland and Holland. He was widely known as a champion golfer and wrote an interesting related memoir which will be published soon. He loved the Gatineau area of Quebec where his log house brought many people together and where he made many contributions to the community. At the memorial service words such as “thoughtful”, “considerate”, “outgoing” and “a gentleman” recalled the memory of a Canadian, a colleague and a friend who made his mark and will be deeply missed.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 24, No. 2 (2009) — Spring 2009 // Printemps 2009, p. 23. Read the rest of this issue →
