Charles Ritchie — No Wonder We Thought Him Special
In another era, when, possibly, Foreign Service Officers remained starry-eyed and grateful for the opportunity to “serve” rather longer than they are said to do these days, our commitment was in no small measure due to the heady wine of being linked,…
Middle Power and Super Power at Mid-Century
In a recent issue of bout de papier, we reprinted correspondence from Lester B. Pearson about the response to a speech that he delivered in April 1951. In that talk, Pearson had predicted that “the days of relatively easy and automatic relations…
Of General Interest — for a Change
A perpetual lament of Canadians — and especially of our diplomats – is that Americans (and sometimes their government) tend either to ignore us or to take us for granted. For the most part, observations by Canadian statesmen and others about Canadian-…
Passage to Peace
Few could have predicted the longevity of the peacekeeper when Canadian politician Lester B. Pearson conceived of the role — perhaps not even Pearson himself. Then secretary of state for external affairs and, as such, Canada’s representative to the United Nations, he…
Meet Paul Martin Sr.
Editor’s Note: John Hadwen is a retired foreign service officer and a member of the editorial board of bout de papier. The circumstances of his first appointment as head of post — as High Commissioner to Malaysia and Singapore as well as…
Prime and Other Ministers
For a party in power, the timing of a change in leadership can be an awkward and vexatious question, particularly when the Prime Minister seems determined to use his discretion to choose the precise moment of his departure. Those contending for the…
Back-to-the-Future: What Aspiring Foreign Service Officers Need to Know About Recruitment Changes
A s happens every year, last fall’s Public Service Commission Post- Secondary Recruitment Campaign for government jobs introduced significant changes without notice. These changes affected candidates applying for Foreign Service (FS), Management/Consular (AS) and Development Officer (PM) positions.
Aid and Ebb Tide: A History of CIDA and Canadian Development Assistance
David R. Morrison, a Professor in Development Studies at Trent University, sets out to tackle an especially complicated and unwieldy subject in this lengthy history of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Canadian development assistance. Based on an extensive reading of…
Public Diplomacy // Diplomatie publique
The Canadian and locally-engaged staff at the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya, won a Public Service Award for their highly professional response, under extremely stressful conditions, in the aftermath of the terrorist bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi. High Commission…
Agent of Influence: A True Story
What Ian Adams has written is anything but a true story, non-fiction wrapped in a gossamer-thin veil of fiction. The author spins what some might think an entertaining tale of espionage. However, even if the novel were entertaining (which it is not)…
