The future of Canada’s diplomacy is gender parity

In the hallowed hallways of Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC’s) Lester B. Pearson building, portraits of former ministers and deputy ministers adorn the walls reminding us of some of the country’s most distinguished diplomats who carved Canada’s identity in the nascent days of nation-building. Canada’s role in international relations was influenced by notable men, including O.D. Skelton, Jules Léger and Norman Robertson. Yet the contribution of women is equally compelling and often under-appreciated. While Canada is often lauded for its international commitments to promote gender equality, Canada’s domestic accomplishments are just as commendable. The recent appointment of Canada’s ambassadors highlights an achievement of Canada that is overlooked: gender parity. Canada is the only G7 and G20 country to have achieved gender parity in ambassador-level appointments. Australia (40 per cent), the United States (40 per cent), the United Kingdom (33 per cent), France (21 per cent), Germany (17 per cent) and Japan (2.5 per cent) all fall below that threshold. The focus on ambassadorial appointments is significant because they reflect the values of a government, serving as a symbolic way of measuring Canada’s collective commitment to gender parity. How was gender parity in ambassadorial appointments achieved in Canada? Certainly, it was not a rosy path. Canada only prioritized gender parity through concerted effort and advocacy. In 1909, the Department of External Affairs was established. By the 1930s, Canada expanded its diplomatic reach, with embassies in London, Paris and Washington, D.C. Women were, however, kept out of the foreign service until the Second World War. The first women foreign service officers were appointed in 1947, including Marjorie McKenzie, Elizabeth MacCallum, Agnes Ireland, and Margaret Meagher. Around forty years after the department had been established, a marriage ban policy was put in place which lasted until 1971, obliging women to resign after they had married (similar policies were also enforced in the U.K. Foreign Commonwealth Office and U.S. State Department). It took the courage of Margaret Catley-Carlson in 1966, who refused to resign from the foreign service after marriage, for a re-evaluation of the outdated departmental policy to occur. Canadian women have come a long way since they first entered the world of diplomacy. In 1954, Elizabeth MacCallum was appointed female chargé d’affaires in Lebanon—and in 1958, Margaret Meagher was appointed as Canada’s first female ambassador to Israel. Canada’s most revered male diplomats have often been commemorated through naming conventions at the Lester B. Pearson building; for example, the Jules Léger Library, the Cadieux Auditorium, and the Skelton Lobby. Only recently did the department dedicate a space on the ninth floor as the Margaret Meagher Room. It has taken years to recognize the contributions of women, yet there are many who served as international aid workers, ambassadors or diplomatic wives, pushing the boundaries of convention to enrich Canadian herstory. Today, there is much progress achieved at GAC. The percentage of women in GAC is over parity and there is a positive trend of women occupying executive-level positions. As noted above, gender parity has been achieved in ambassador-level appointments; as well, in 2019, GAC appointed Marta Morgan as the first female deputy minister of foreign affairs. This progress reflects the tireless efforts and advocacy of a generation of women who championed gender equality. October is Women’s History Month in Canada. This year’s theme, #WomenMakingHistoryNow, is timely. The month provides an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women, past and present. Let’s acknowledge the successes of our distinguished Canadian female diplomats and ambassadors. Let’s applaud the many accomplished women who have trailblazed the path forward for aspiring foreign service officers. Let’s recognize these accomplished role models who work at GAC today: Sandra McCardell, Jacqueline O’Neill, Stefanie Beck, Kirsten Hillman, Ayesha Rekhi, Emi Furuya, among many others. Let’s also recognize the many outstanding women who came before. These women make us proud in how they have represented and represent our country with dedication, humility, and intelligence. At GAC we have made significant strides in achieving gender parity, but we still have a way to go in diversifying the foreign service so that it is truly reflective of Canada’s population. In the meantime, let’s take a moment to celebrate Women’s History Month. Women at GAC are making history now. We have finally achieved gender parity at the ambassador levels. Canada is the only G7 and G20 country to have done so. It has taken us seventy years to get there, but in the end, we did it. Here’s to the future of Canada’s diplomacy. The future is gender parity. Grace Lee is an Action Canada Fellow for 2021. She is a Canadian foreign service officer and works at Global Affairs Canada. The Hill Times

The future of Canada’s diplomacy is gender parity

October is Women’s History Month in Canada. This year’s theme, #WomenMakingHistoryNow, is timely. The month provides an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women, past and present.

A century of women MPs, but gender parity still major issue