bout de papier, Vol. 30, No. 2 (2017), p. 32
It was with shock and great sadness that we learned of the passing of Gerald Boamah on December 28, 2016. To know Gerald was to like and respect him, and it is hard to accept that in the prime of his life, age 37, he is taken away so suddenly.
Gerald was born in London Ontario but was raised in the island of Barbados where he had his elementary and secondary education. He returned to Canada when he was 18 years old and studied at Carleton University. After his graduation he joined the exciting world of the Foreign Service of Canada, on March 6, 2006. One of his earliest assignments was with the Investment Trade Policy Division (TMV) of the Trade Policy and Negotiations Branch, where he worked from 2008-2011, advancing to the level of a senior trade policy officer before he left. He loved the world of trade negotiation and became known as one who would roll up his sleeves and take on the challenging assignments. He could always be relied on to be very well prepared, to have done all the background research and to have it at his finger-tips for the team. Most will remember him, though, as a truly wonderful person to work with because of his very cheerful and engaging personality. He was such a positive force on any team that he worked. One of his most personally rewarding and memorable assignments was to return to his home country on a team of trade policy experts looking into strengthening trade ties. Gerald took up the role of “visit coordinator” to ensure that his colleagues came away with an appreciation of his home island, all the while engaging in the negotiations with his usual dedication and attention to details. The Canada-Barbados connection was never so strong!
Gerald gave three solid years to the Investment Trade Policy Division and then, true to the culture of the department he worked for, moved on to broaden and enrich his work experience, and took on a Trade Commissioner position at the Ontario Regional Office in Toronto. He returned to Ottawa in early 2016 to work in the EU-EFTA Commercial Relations Division (EUB) until August 2016, when he left to attend the Law School at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. Gerald was full of energy and ideas, and was unafraid to take on new adventures. It was a big decision for him to leave the Department to go back to school, and while this was a little “unsettling”, Gerald’s continuous thirst for knowledge prevailed. Leaving with the confidence that he had made the right choice, he embraced fully this new chapter of his life, just as he had embraced his time in the world of foreign affairs.
We of Global Affairs who had the good fortune to share paths with Gerald Boamah, however brief a time it may have been, cannot help but feel a deep sense of loss. His memory remains with us, and it will invoke a smile for the person he was and a tear because we shall miss him so.
Vernon MacKay has been the Director of the Investment Trade Policy Division at Global Affairs Canada since January 2013. He was previously Deputy Director in the same division for six years. He has been Canada’s lead investment negotiator for several free trade agreements and foreign investment promotion and protection agreement (FIPAs), including the FIPA with China.
Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 30, No. 2 (2017), p. 32. Read the rest of this issue →
