bout de papier, Vol. 32, No. 2 (2022), p. 3
THE ACRONYM VUCA — volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous — was coined by the US military to describe the world after the end of the Cold War. Three decades and two pandemic years later, the concept resonates with professionals in most fields. In April this year, I had the honour of being the first witness before the Standing Committee of the Senate on Foreign Affairs and International Trade as it launched a study to determine whether Canada’s Foreign Service is up to the challenge. In June, Minister Joly and Deputy Minister Morgan announced their own internal operational review at Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
Foreign Service professionals are certainly facing volatility in the pace, amount, and magnitude of the changes to our operating environment and working conditions. Aside from the obvious impact of the pandemic, we’re all affected by rising inflation, supply chain issues, the effects of climate change, geopolitical power shifts, war, and insecurity. Historical information and experience seem less and less helpful in predicting the future in increasingly dynamic, interdependent situations. This complexity is amplified by the speed of information, especially when working outside everyone’s comfort zone, with few established best practices for what we are experiencing.
Whether we like it or not, we face serious questions. How do we forge a path that allows Canada to meet these challenges and effectively pursue both our international and national interests? In the discussions before the Senate committee and in response to GAC’s transformation exercise, key needs have emerged, including reform of human resources management to get the most out of an exceptionally talented, diverse, and knowledgeable workforce and supplement that workforce with outside expertise where needed; development of a new model for risk management and assessment that encourages innovation and empowers employees to take calculated risks; more research, strategy, and big-picture thinking; and less of a transactional and administrative focus; and encouragement of a culture which discourages complacency and explicitly rewards innovation, expertise, action, and flexibility.
Most importantly, though, we face fundamental questions about our mission. It’s difficult to assess whether or not an organization is “fit for purpose” without a strong and shared understanding of exactly what that purpose is. It’s been over two decades since we took a serious look at our national interests to determine what Canada, and by extension GAC and the Foreign Service, wants to achieve internationally and why. We need to demonstrate how our work will improve life for Canadians and others in our global community and then work with allies in business, academia, the NGO world, international organizations, and other governments to align our actions with our intentions. It’s not enough to say that we support lofty principles — we must show up on the ground in meaningful ways. As one witness before the Senate Committee put it, “hope and hashtags” are no substitute for an effective foreign policy.
Unfortunately, we’re in a bit of a vicious circle. For a lead foreign policy department hobbled by a risk-averse culture that rewards going along to get along, mired in transactional and administrative work, this kind of fundamental review could be — and indeed should be — difficult and painful. Thankfully, GAC’s Minister and Deputy Minister seem to be meeting the external challenge of the Senate review rather than avoiding it or trying to water it down. Hopefully, these operational discussions will lead to consideration of the deeper questions we must answer if we are to navigate effectively through what comes next.
I am struck by the generosity of experienced Foreign Service professionals who have come forward to share their wisdom and expertise on the challenges facing us all in this issue of bout de papier. However, we will be entering this next phase without the wise counsel of three of our most-loved colleagues and former PAFSO members, Jacques Bilodeau, Ken Sunquist, and Deborah Chatsis. Jacques had numerous ambassadorial posts during his long career, including as Ambassador to Belgium and the Prime Minister’s personal representative for the Francophonie. Ken had served at numerous missions abroad including as Ambassador in Indonesia, and as Chief Trade Commissioner and Assistant Deputy Minister for Africa and Asia at headquarters. Deborah was a 1998 PAFSO Award recipient and Canada’s first female ambassador from a First Nations community. We remember these colleagues for their dedication to Canada and their generous mentorship of young Foreign Service Officers.
Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 32, No. 2 (2022), p. 3. Read the rest of this issue →
