As I enter my second three-year term as your President, my commitment to you remains as strong as ever: PAFSO will fight to ensure that our members – and our profession – get the resources, support, and respect that they deserve.
The work that you do is important, vital and essential to Canada and Canadians both at home and abroad. This is the message that I will continue to deliver at the National Joint Council and other labour-management fora, with parliamentarians, decision-makers, other external stakeholders, and in the media.
Under the emerging climate of belt-tightening and austerity, PAFSO will work to ensure that the Employer never forgets that cuts to Canada’s professional Foreign Service carry significant threats to Canada’s sovereignty and identity by weakening our national security frameworks. They put at risk our trade relationships, our capacity to help the world’s most vulnerable, our influence on the world stage, and our ability to protect our citizens abroad. And all this at a time when we are facing unprecedented threats.
The upcoming negotiations for our new collective agreement offer us an opportunity to ensure that our members are adequately compensated, protected, and recognized. This will be a top priority for me and my team. We have a full staff of dedicated professionals ready to assist you.
I would especially like to encourage you all to deepen your involvement with PAFSO. Whether through attending our events, volunteering for committees, or sharing your expertise, your participation makes our union stronger. Together, we can set new standards for labour rights, protect the status of our profession and build a more resilient Foreign Service community.
As your President, I am committed to ensuring that all voices in our organization are heard. I believe in the power of consensus-building and collaborative solutions. My door is always open, and I look forward to working with you to protect and advance our professional interests.
PAFSO in the Press
Former intelligence and security officials urge Parliament’s national security committee to investigate suspected Havana Syndrome cases among Canadian diplomats in Cuba, and how Ottawa treated them and their families. Pam Isfeld says they were treated shabbily.
“They deserve to be believed as the first premise.”
With thousands of public servants retiring early and tens of thousands more warned their jobs are at risk, former officials say there is still no clear picture of which jobs will go. Pam Isfeld warns of knowledge and skill walking out the door.
“You’re sending all these people home. Do you really understand what the impact will be of them going?”
As Minister Anand makes Canada’s commercial interests the foreign ministry’s central priority, former envoys warn that a trade-only focus would cost Canada influence. Pam Isfeld says economic diplomacy depends on expertise, networks and a properly supported foreign service.
“Effective economic diplomacy involves more than just trade promotion.”
PAFSO has filed a policy grievance after the Public Service Health Care Plan refused to cover fertility treatment for members serving abroad. Pam Isfeld says about two dozen members have been affected so far.
“The principle for people serving abroad is that you should not be disadvantaged compared to what you would get if you’re living in Canada.”
An internal audit of Canada’s missions in the United States found staff facing safety risks including gun violence, high housing costs and trouble getting health care. Pam Isfeld says the problems are nothing new to her members and hopes the findings lead to action.
“We’re hoping to see more and more of these real-time assessments of what’s going on, and hopefully it will lead to some real-time action.”