bout de papier, Vol. 10, No. 3 (1993) — Summer 1993 // Été 1993, p. 2
After two and a half years as Editor responsible for ten editions of bout de papier, the time has come to pass the quill onward. Beginning with the Winter 1993/94 edition, there will be a new Editor, freshly confirmed by the Annual General Meeting of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) in September 1993.
Before that happens, and as a bit of nostalgia, it may be worthwhile looking back briefly to see where we were in late 1990 when Volume 8, Number 2 was being put together and I became Editor. At that time, the Editorial Board forecast that the world of the Foreign Service and the practice of diplomacy would change dramatically, and this has come to pass. The aim of bout de papier would be to come to grips with some of these issues in an enlightened, rigorous and professional manner and to attempt to point the way forward for the profession.
We predicted that the way ahead would be far from clear, both for the Department and for the profession. We sought the views of the readership concerning fundamental issues such as: What is a modern diplomat, and has the shine gone off this profession?
Is the practice of diplomacy a true profession? Is there a need for international diplomacy, or has the media pre-empted this role? What should the priorities of a foreign ministry be in the 21st century? What should the trade, immigration and aid roles be in an era of government downsizing, global recession, and widespread international political instability? We questioned whether there would be a viable future for External Affairs and we raised the issue of whether individuals would even continue to want to join the Foreign Service; and if so, then why?
We expressed open concern about the future role of External Affairs and the future ability of the Foreign Service to function as a distinct profession. We recognized that change was in the wind; brought about not only by the Government’s desire to decrease the deficit but also by the Department’s desire to re-orient its working practices.
As part of re-orienting the work of the organization, we predicted a re-streaming process whereby the Department would move closer to the notion of specialization and professionalization. It would have “economic officers,” or “international lawyers,” or “multilateral negotiators” for instance, rather than political/economic officers, social affairs officers or trade/economic officers in the current Public Service Commission (Foreign Service Officer) occupational category. We saw this movement as leading to the possibility of greater career enrichment and to much broader job opportunities, particularly for non-rotational employees. Indeed, pursued further, we saw that this notion could perhaps lead to the eventual demise of the FS group as a distinct job classification in the Public Service.
In this latter scenario, we considered that breaking down the job packages of the Foreign Service could result in an economic analyst becoming an ES (economist/statistician); an international lawyer becoming an LA (lawyer); and a trade expert becoming a CO (commerce officer)…. In this situation, the career issue would then probably shitt to the individual’s rotationality much as now exists with the CR (clerk), AS (administrative officer), and SCY (secretary) groups. This might make for greater transparency and flexibility for both employer and employee in planning for individual careers and in personnel management.
We could then foresee that a wider range of occupational groups could be split into rotational and non-rotational positions. We saw this as a positive prospect because it seemed to open up the opportunity of developing and maintaining expertise, and of encouraging greater training and wider exposure in government departments through the process of shifting back and forth from periods of being rotational to being non-rotational. We also foresaw that this would enhance movement into and out of the profession and that, through the use of more frequent, systematic and regularized secondments to and from other government departments, this could provide a much wider range of alternate career options.
Some of this is happening already, both within the Department itself and across government. The conversion of a range of occupational groups to the new “GE” (general) category is part of this cross-government process. The creation of a new stream of management/consular officers in the Foreign Service is a departmental variation on the theme. These are positive steps in the direction of trying to build the necessary team spirit in those who remain in the employ of government.
I can imagine that bout de papier will continue to pursue many of these themes in upcoming editions, and give priority to the provision of in-depth analysis concerning specific matters of foreign policy in the political, trade, immigration and aid fields. bout de papier is a magazine for those with a lively sense of curiosity, imaginative visions and unique proposals to meet changing circumstance and shifting national and international foreign policy priorities.
I wish my successor all the best and hope that the new Editor enjoys the magazine, the Editorial Boards, the contributors and the producers as much as I did! Being Editor was a tremendous personal learning experience, and an incredible professional challenge.
It has been a great honour for me to be associated with the illustrious members of the Senior Editorial Board; the cheerful collegiality and professionalism of the members of the Editorial Board; the superb art direction of the dedicated team at Acart Graphic Services Inc.; and last but never least, the outstanding support, constant ideas and enthusiasm, and rigorous professionalism and dedication of the Managing Editor, Debra Hulley. All have kept me on the “straight and narrow” path and have contributed inestimably to the real success of bout de papier. Long may the magazine flourish!
Ottawa, August 1993
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 10, No. 3 (1993) — Summer 1993 // Été 1993, p. 2. Read the rest of this issue →
