bout de papier, Vol. 25, No. 1 (2010) — Spring 2010 // Printemps 2010, p. 41
Don Saunders died on December 18, 2009 after a struggle with cancer. After retiring when he reached his entitlement, Don returned to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade where he continued to make a significant contribution as a contract employee until shortly before his death.
He was one of the most respected and liked individuals in the Department where he spent a great deal of his career in the security and foreign intelligence fields, including a tour as the Foreign Intelligence Liaison Officer in Washington. No one ever had an unkind word to say about Don nor did everyone not always receive anything but the greatest consideration from him. He had a real human touch and it was often remarked that he was one of the finest “people managers” in the Department. He was a mentor to many new entrants into intelligence to whom he gave much of his time and insights into the business.
We both remember Don as a man of great integrity and ethics for whom things were either correct or wrong. He advised more than one new entrant into foreign intelligence that the laws of Canada were never broken nor bent; once such a path was embarked upon, given the nature and secrecy of the work, there was no turning back and the value of what we were doing was for naught.
Don had worked his way up through the Department, starting as a Clerk while completing his university degree in the evenings. Once he had received his degree he secured a lateral transfer into the Foreign Service Officer stream where he served in headquarter assignments and overseas. His last assignment, before taking retirement in 2000, was as Deputy Director for Foreign Intelligence, an appointment he managed with skill, tact, great discretion and, despite the frequent frustrations, with obvious great personal enjoyment. He often remarked on and truly believed that we were “making a difference.”
The intelligence field is one fraught with potential minefields as different agencies engaged in struggles for limited resources and pride of place for their particular specialty. In the Canadian intelligence community, and among our allies, we have never met anyone who knew Don who did not hold him in the highest regards, not only as a valued colleague and professional, but as someone whose motives were never questioned and who served his country with honour and distinction. It was an honour to have worked with him.
Don is survived by his wife Susan, his two children, Mike and Kathy, and four grandchildren.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 25, No. 1 (2010) — Spring 2010 // Printemps 2010, p. 41. Read the rest of this issue →
