Better analysis needed on balance of diplomats abroad and at home, says Sajjan

As the Senate Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee continues to investigate Canada’s foreign service machinery, the federal government has indicated it will consider the ideal balance of diplomats posted at headquarters in Ottawa and Canada's "targeted presence" abroad. So far, the committee has conducted nine meetings for its fit-for-purpose study into the foreign service, hearing from senior officials in a handful of government departments, foreign policy experts, former diplomats, and most recently, International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver South, B.C.) on Nov. 3. Sajjan told the committee the government needs to assess how best to position diplomats abroad to deliver its programs. “We need to have a targeted presence abroad, including more boots on the ground in the right places working with local partners and civil society to meet development objectives,” he said, noting that nearly a decade after the amalgamation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with the Canadian International Development Agency, the government needs to “analyze if the current structure meets the uncertainty and challenges of today and also of the future.” Sajjan said that through “recruitment, training, and investment,” there is a need to foster expertise across all Global Affairs streams. “When it comes to the number of people around the world, this is something that we need to do a better analysis on,” he said, responding to a question on vacancies in postings abroad. “You need to make sure you have a balance between how many people we have in headquarters versus people on the ground,” he said. “Having the right people on the ground with the right delegated authorities is also just as important.” Global Affairs located in the Pearson Building on Sussex Drive is undergoing a capacity review of its foreign service. The Hill Times file photograph Canada has around 18 per cent of its diplomats posted across Canada’s 178 missions in 110 countries, with the great majority remaining in Ottawa at the department’s headquarters. The number of diplomats posted abroad is also curtailed by a departmental requirement not to spend more than seven consecutive years abroad before returning to Canada, compared to other nations, like the United States, which allows State Department officials to be abroad for 15 consecutive years. A recent report by Canadian diplomat Ulric Shannon detailed these restrictions on foreign diplomatic postings. While on leave from Global Affairs, the former Canadian ambassador to Iraq conducted a study that concluded that Canada risked trailing behind allies and competitors by not fostering expertise in its foreign service. Shannon is currently the director general of Global Affairs’ peace and stabilization operations program. While the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee undertakes its study, Global Affairs is also conducting its own review on the capacity of the foreign service and the future of diplomacy. The Senate study is led by two former Global Affairs deputy ministers in Independent Senator and chair Peter Boehm (Ontario), a past deputy minister of international development, and Progressive Senator and vice-chair Peter Harder (Ontario), a former deputy minister of foreign affairs. Boehm declined an interview request, and Harder did not respond. In an email, Boehm said it is premature to “offer” possible conclusions from the committee’s study, noting that it will continue into the new year hearing from more witnesses. Former deputy minister of foreign affairs Morris Rosenberg told the committee on June 16 that he is “completely in favour of increasing our staff abroad.” “I think it is important for the Department of Global Affairs to support the work being done in other countries,” he said. “There has been a significant reduction in Canadian staff assigned to this diplomatic work.” He added that experience abroad would be beneficial for diplomats when they return to Ottawa. Rosenberg said that doesn’t mean reducing the number of diplomats at headquarters to send abroad. “I do not think it is necessary to choose one or the other of the two. Rather, we should be asking what we need in order for Global Affairs to be effective and meet the needs of the country and the government. I do not think we can simply reduce staff at headquarters and send them abroad or vice versa. We have to see it as a whole and have enough staff for both roles at the same time,” he said. Global Affairs needs 'more agile, more responsive' structure, says Sen. Gerba Progressive Senator Amina Gerba (Rigaud, Que.), who sits on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, described the balance between diplomat numbers abroad and at home as “delicate.” “My feeling, however, leans in favour of strengthening the workforce abroad, in particular through local recruitment, which is essential links in Canadian foreign policy,” she told The Hill Times in an email. “The United Kingdom answered this question simply: ‘Less office, more foreign.’ Is this a model for Canada to follow? The continuation of the committee's work will probably provide some answers to this question. The balance between the number of employees in Canada and abroad is delicate,” she said. She added it is “sometimes necessary to make choices" due to the limits of financial resources. The Senate Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee is chaired by Independent Senator Peter Boehm, right. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia Gerba said she doesn’t yet have conclusions on the committee’s study as it remains underway. She noted Global Affairs needs to “rethink its structure to be more agile, more responsive, and better able to position Canada on a changing international scene.” Asked about what potential topics and witnesses she wants to see the study address, the Quebec Senator said one aspect she wants a further look at is Canada’s ties with Africa. A strategy for Canada’s engagement with Africa is currently being prepared by Liberal MP Robert Oliphant (Don Valley West, Ont.), parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs. In the last year, Canada has opened two new diplomatic posts in Africa: a new mission in Rwanda and a permanent observer to the African Union. “In a turbulent international context,” Gerba said, “I believe more than ever that Canada must work to diversify these relations. The potential with Africa is immense, and Canada is awaited with open arms by the continent. More meaningful representation on the continent is needed.” GAC’s surge capacity should be examined: Paris University of Ottawa international relations professor Roland Paris, who served as the prime minister’s senior foreign policy adviser from 2015 to 2016, told the committee that Global Affairs should look at its surge capability to respond to the number of mounting crises without disrupting the department’s other work. “I just think that we have been treating these crises as one-offs, in a sense, and as a result, they have taken up so much of the oxygen,” he said on Oct. 20. He said it is a question of organizational planning and carving out a designated group that can be reallocated quickly. In the Oct. 20 meeting, Harder mentioned that Global Affairs has never enjoyed a surge capacity like that of the Canadian Armed Forces. He added that surge capacity is something the department should begin planning for “more strategically.” Paris said he agrees. “I would respectfully suggest that one of the committee’s great contributions in this area could be to explore what would be required or could be required for surge capacity,” he said. “We are not talking about the ability to respond to serial emergencies. We are talking about the ability to do that while keeping the rest of the department doing its work.” nmoss@hilltimes.com The Hill Times EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated on Nov. 16 to remove a reference to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly's upcoming appearance at the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The scheduled meeting was cancelled after publication.

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Better analysis needed on balance of diplomats abroad and at home, says Sajjan

Canada's foreign service is highly concentrated in Ottawa with only around 18 per cent of its diplomats posted abroad.

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