bout de papier, Vol. 13, No. 3 (1996) — Fall 1996 // Automne 1996, pp. 4–5
At most of Canada’s Missions abroad a Duty Officer has traditionally been responsible for dealing with emergency business outside the normal working day, on week-ends, and on holidays. Except for at the largest missions every officer save the Head of Mission has been required to stand duty on a rota basis. At the smaller missions support persons may also have been asked to participate. While incidents may have involved nothing more than the passing of messages to other mission personnel or local officials the Duty Officer was also required to respond to protect and assist Canadians in difficulty, traditionally the Consular Mandate. There is in fact no statutory requirement to do so but DFAIT and its missions abroad accept this as a practical obligation and moral responsibility. Persons serving abroad as duty officers do so in addition to their regular duties; they are left in no doubt that it is a serious undertaking, with possibly life or death consequences. The following cases have been drawn from real life; only names have been changed.
Jeannine
Jeannine was an officer on first posting, raising her five-year old who attended nursery school during the day. Before joining DFAIT she was a professional in a dynamic, competitive milieu. She was efficient, energetic, intellectually challenging.
She was half-way through her week as Duty Officer and it had been busy. Just the night before she had had to deal with a number of incidents. Tonight, as she sat hoping to get some home reading done, the phone rang. A young woman, a dual national residing permanently in the host country, had received word earlier in the day that her father in Canada had suffered a coronary and was not expected to live. She wanted to travel to Canada the next day on an early morning flight. She had no passport, of either country. Jeannine asked her a few questions to establish her bona fides as best possible, instructed her to proceed to the Embassy, settled her 5-year old comfortably (a neighbor was available) and left.
When the caller arrived at the Embassy she was without proof of citizenship and photographs, despite having been told of their necessity. She was assisted in filling in the necessary forms, although questioning all the while the need for so much bureaucracy and, when everything was put together (including polaroids taken by the duty officer) the Emergency Passport was prepared and delivered. The client would take off on time. It was after 11 PM.
Several months later a four-page letter addressed to the Ambassador, signed by the client, arrived at the Embassy. In a harsh and accusatory tone Jeannine was charged with being officious, impatient and callous. The writer expressed her disappointment that Canadians were not better served. Although the Department has a well-documented record of superior Consular Service to the public any complaint in this area is thoroughly investigated. Jeannine was interviewed about the incident and asked to write a detailed, factual account of the events, based on her recollections and her notes in the Consular Log.
The conclusion was that she had clearly acted responsibly, effectively and with compassion. The client received a straightforward reply.
A Late Night’s Stroll
It was 2 AM on a weekday morning when she received the call. Two Canadians on their way to a train station had been robbed; passports, money, ID. They had to catch a 5 AM train to make it in time for their charter flight to Canada later in the day. This was the end of their holidays.
Suzanne’s Duty Officer stint had been quiet. A young, bright, cheerful parent of a two-year old she was not only on her first posting but on her first ever D.O. stint as well. Because of this she had received an intensive two-hour briefing by Consular Program staff.
Suzanne quickly decided she would have to deal with the problem on the spot. Getting herself ready, she bundled up her infant, set the child in a stroller, and briskly walked the half-dozen blocks to the Embassy. Later that morning, Consular staff were astonished to discover that two Emergency Passports had been issued by the Duty Officer overnight, and that all procedures had been followed to the letter. When Suzanne was de-briefed on the case her only comment was “hooray for strollers!”
Canada Day
As Canadian Forces Attache, Colin was nearing the end of a long career of active military service. It was Colin’s lot to be duty officer on an especially important long week-end…. Canada Day fell on a Monday. Colin was used to taking decisions as a military man, where authority and responsibility usually went together, but he had been duty officer before, and understood that this responsibility could be accompanied by uncertainty.
Consular areas are often grey, and there can be the complication of working in an unfamiliar language. As well, since as CFA his work involved considerable liaison, representation and protocol duties, his week-end would be onerous regardless.
On Friday evening, shortly after getting home, Colin recovered a scratchy message from the Embassy answering machine. A young Canadian man had been acting erratically, the police had been called and had taken the man into custody. Could someone call urgently? Colin did, and pieced together the story. The man, just graduated from a rigorous University degree program, had arrived from Canada for a Sabbatical, a gift from his proud parents. He was apparently undergoing a severe emotional crisis. He had been standing in the midst of a busy traffic circle yelling at drivers and passersby. Before, he had scribbled illegible words and phrases on the walls of his room and of the corridors of the youth hostel at which he had checked in that very morning. There were blood stains on the floor and in the sink. He was clearly a danger to himself and possibly others. Police had taken him to the psychiatric ward of a large, modern hospital where he had promptly been admitted and sedated. He was in the care of the ward physician; hallucinogenic drugs were not believed to be involved.
Psychiatric problems are amongst the most difficult of Consular cases. The Canadian dealing with the cases has no authority over the individual, even though that person may be medically or legally incapable of caring for him or her self. The duty officer or consul must, however, ensure that local officials treat the Canadian’s safety and well-being as paramount.
With the information available and obtainable Colin was able to ensure contact with the man’s family in Canada. The family was given reassurance as to the son’s immediate safety but it was stressed that he should be returned to Canada for treatment as soon as possible. The father made immediate arrangements to arrive Sunday morning but, not speaking the local language, requested all possible assistance. Colin reached the Consul and briefed him on the case. They agreed Colin would continue liaising with the hospital, local authorities and the father for the time being, and that the Consul would meet the father on Sunday, and take the lead in the case from that point on.
Together, the duty officer, father and consul (after meeting the father and helping him check into the hotel) visited the youth hostel, whose manager agreed not to press vandalism charges, visited the hospital and patient, discussed discharge and transport needs with medical staff, arranged for ticketing and travel documentation with local immigration and a major Canadian airline (the son had destroyed his passport), and collected his personal belongings. On Monday, despite a near emotional relapse, the son was stabilized and was able to return to Canada with his father.
Canada Day was warm and sunny. The official reception was well-attended, and successful. The CFA was tired but resplendent in uniform. The Consul phoned in his regrets from the airport. The Ambassador understood.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 13, No. 3 (1996) — Fall 1996 // Automne 1996, pp. 4–5. Read the rest of this issue →
