bout de papier, Vol. 25, No. 3 (2010) — Fall 2010 // Automne 2010, p. 4
PAFSO has survived another year, and the 2010-2011 Executive is now in place. Melanie Bejzyk, David De Rose, Kirk Duguid, David Edwards, Timothy Edwards, Alyssa Frohberg, Cael Husband, Marie- Hélène Jacques, Jonathon Kupi, Keith Lewis, Svitozar Omelko, Allison Poff, Stella Sweetman Griffin, and Pearl Wierenga offer a great mix of experience, both inside and outside PAFSO and DFAIT. which makes a great deal of sense. However, we are still looking for clarity on exactly where the career foreign service fits into the plan. Once PAFSO members have this understanding, we will know where and how we can best contribute.
One of my principal goals this year as President is to encourage a serious discussion among management, our members, and other stakeholders about the role and future I am very honoured that they chose me as President for a second term. This time around, we face a number of new challenges, including preparations for upcoming negotiations (discussed in more detail by Ron Cochrane in his interview), and the possibility of Strategic Review II. We also have the opportunity to continue our work on some longstanding issues.
In my last column for bout, I mentioned that DFAIT was abuzz with talk of “Transformation” and the opportunities it presented for real renewal of the Department, including a dialogue on the role of PAFSO members and the foreign service writ large. In mid-November, we began to hear from senior management on the broader vision that they have for the department. It sounds like the plan involves reaching out to both traditional and non-traditional players inside Canada and beyond to apply a whole-of-government perspective to foreign policy issues. They have also identified the need for medium and long-term thinking to balance the short-term demands of the communications cycle.
This vision also calls for DFAIT to develop a management style that looks at processes according to whether they contribute to or detract from our core mandate, of our profession. We have re-launched the PAFSO breakfast series and hope that events like these will serve as springboards for the frank exchanges that need to take place.
We must work together to develop a clear vision that engages all the expertise we have available. I hope that the foreign service community will take part in this dialogue.
View the original scanned pages →
Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 25, No. 3 (2010) — Fall 2010 // Automne 2010, p. 4. Read the rest of this issue →
