bout de papier, Vol. 28, No. 2 (2014) — Summer 2014 // Été 2014, p. 23
Randolph Gherson was born in Cairo and educated at the London School of Economics. In 1958 he came to Ottawa with Joan, his Winnipeg born wife, following his work as an economist at the International Wheat Council. A spell with the IWC was a natural entrée to Canada’s Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce (ITC), whose Minister was then responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board.
Prior to the 1981 integration of ITC’s trade policy and trade promotion functions with the Department of External Affairs, ITC, along with External Affairs and Finance (ever jealous of its primacy in the tariff field) formed a triumvirate in trade policy formulation and for the management of trade relations. ITC even shared trade policy postings with External Affairs and Finance. Thus we find Randolph appointed as Deputy Head of Mission to the European Communities in 1968 and then Minister Counsellor Economic in Washington in 1972. At the time of the Departmental amalgamation, Randolph was serving as Ambassador to the OECD, then, as now, the developed world’s exchange for information and ideas on all aspects of multilateral economic cooperation. On his return from Paris, Randolph expanded the range of his expertise to become Chief Air Negotiator in 1986 and then Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation in 1991.
Randolph was a consummate diplomat, totally bilingual, with a mastery of the arcana of the profession. He knew the tone to adopt when dispatching or replying to a note verbale, aide-memoire and yes even a bout de papier. He operated easily and effectively in his face-to-face exchanges with foreign interlocuteurs, many of whom became close personal friends.
The positions he held are testimony to Randolph’s skills as a negotiator: mastery of the facts, understanding of the political constraints (domestic and foreign), the imagination to discern an acceptable deal and the capacity to walk away when none was available. To complicate matters, building a consensus negotiating position among fractious domestic stakeholders could be more difficult than reaching an agreement with foreigners. Then, as now, the chief negotiator needed to satisfy the expectations of his Minister, other Federal Departments, Provincial Governments, and the private sector. In Air negotiations, Randolph sometimes had to steer through more “turbulence” on the ground than in the air given the often divergent interests of Air Canada and Canadian Pacific.
Randolph remained very active to the end. His rich post-retirement life should persuade the nervous that quitting the “nine to five” (OK, nine to seven) routine can be quite fulfilling. The papers he accumulated over his career were collated, indexed and turned over to Library and Archives Canada. He pursued new hobbies: heraldry, photography and bird watching. He became an active executive with the Rideau Club and a very helpful member of bout de papier’s Senior Editorial Board. His sudden and mercifully swift death came as something of a shock: until his last few weeks, he followed a regular exercise regime and to all appearances was in excellent health.
Randolph’s impeccable dress and courtly manners, his pipe and Havanas, spoke to a more elegant age, yet Randolph was thoroughly modern. Throughout his life he remained a keen observer of national and global politics. There were few issues on which he would not offer an opinion, few problems for which he could not suggest a solution. It would be a mistake to pigeonhole Randolph as a “Conservative” even in un-capitalized form. He was often startlingly radical and creative. He argued that the OECD could emerge as the right forum to negotiate multilateral trade agreements among developed countries, an idea that may yet come to fruition. Who else would have delved into history to devise a constitutional plan for a Palestine settlement inspired by the 1870s arrangements whereby the Egyptian monarchy retained sovereignty but leased to Britain (the great power of the day) de facto security and fiscal control?
From his reading and experience, Randolph developed strong principles. He believed devoutly in the political neutrality of the bureaucracy, in appearance as well as substance. Most of his contemporaries accepted this up to a point, but had no compunction in voting against the political bosses du jour. Not so Randolph. He simply refused to vote in federal elections. Moreover, as an immigrant, Randolph loved his adopted land. He worked hard to promote Canada’s interests. He wore his richly deserved Order of Canada with great pride. Although many of his close friends carried two passports, Randolph disapproved of the practice (and of passports of convenience). For him, loyalty to Canada was a supreme value while a confusion in the allegiances of Canadians inevitably led to foreign policy incoherence. He was prescient.
Randolph’s death leaves a gap in the lives of his many friends — those who served with him in Ottawa and abroad, and the many new friends acquired in his retirement years. But all will remember fondly how their lives were enriched and enlivened by their friendship with Randolph — an accomplished and quintessential gentleman.
Tony Halliday joined the Canadian Government in 1968 after serving in the Government of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and then GATT (now WTO) in Geneva. He had postings in Washington and Chicago (Consul General 1986 to 1989). He retired in 1991.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 28, No. 2 (2014) — Summer 2014 // Été 2014, p. 23. Read the rest of this issue →
