Strategic Plan 2025–28

Executive Summary

In 2019 and 2020 respectively, PAFSO launched the first Strategic Review and adopted its first Strategic Plan. In accordance with the commitments made to members at the 2020 Annual General Meeting, we are now presenting our second Strategic Plan, which will provide the organization with strategic vision and guidance from 2025 to 2028.

Meeting the challenges and opportunities of the next three years will require a flexible and committed approach suited to both new and longstanding issues. Consolidating the integration of our professional association and representation responsibilities by shifting our organizational culture from a rights-based service model to one focused on shared interests and advocacy will help support our renewed strategic priorities and directions.

These proposed strategic priorities and directions are presented in detail for the Annual General Meeting’s approval on pages 4-5. In summary, they are:

1. Protect and represent, including by negotiating the next collective bargaining agreement in 2026, representing members on labour relations issues, protecting health and safety, and seeking beneficial conditions of service and support to individuals and families through means such as the existing Foreign Service Directives or other mechanisms that might be developed both inside and outside current frameworks.
2. Advocate and engage in strategic and targeted ways to ensure that PAFSO is visible to the public, media, and decision-makers both on issues that are important to the professional foreign service, and that those stakeholders understand the full value of our contributions to Canada and Canadians. The 60^th Anniversary celebrations in 2025 offer an opportunity to highlight and publicize our role outside our traditional circles in order to maximize public support.
3. Govern and operate, maintaining our commitment to best practices in financial, operational and governance matters, ensuring that we speak with a strong and unified voice that reflects the views of our diverse membership, and ensuring that we stay up to date on best practices in governance and support to our members.
   
   

Introduction
Why a new strategic plan?

When we launched the first Strategic Plan in 2020, PAFSO had remained largely unchanged since its creation as a professional association in 1965. Our mechanisms, including the aims outlined in the Constitution, structure of the Executive Committee (ExCom) and the PAFSO office, had not been reviewed in those 53 years, and the organization had never formally articulated its vision or mission. These gaps had created challenges related to foundational infrastructure and governance and limited our ability to pursue a strategy that integrated our labour relations and professional association mandates. In turn, those challenges contributed to a lack of engagement on the part of members, characterized by an annual struggle to find volunteers for ExCom and low participation at essential meetings such as the AGMs.

Over the past four years, we’ve reported to the AGM in detail on the transformative efforts undertaken as part of the 2021-2023 Strategic Plan in all our priority areas, but especially governance. Highlights include establishing the full-time presidency and enshrining its role and responsibilities in the Constitution, defining the reporting relationship of the senior staff person to the President and the EXCOM, and modernizing and updating our management, finance and budget frameworks.  The organization’s contracts, policies and procedures have been thoroughly reviewed to eliminate areas of excess liability, and a Code of Conduct is in place. We have also established clear terms of reference and governance training for EXCOM members, and provisions for remote participation have helped ensure diversity in recruitment and decrease turnover. We are also in the process of negotiating our third mutually beneficial collective agreement with our staff.

We’ve made significant advances in our “promotion and protection of the professional Foreign Service” pillar as well. Since 2020, we’ve negotiated two “live” collective agreements and conducted a GBA+ framework analysis of our contract.  We also conducted extensive consultations in preparation for the ongoing Cyclical Review of the FSDs and expect our proposals to bring about significant change.

On advocacy and engagement, the creation of the Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations position in the PAFSO office has allowed us to significantly increase our media engagement on crucial issues including healthcare abroad. During the period covered by the first strategic plan, the President gave nearly 200 interviews, including 50 related to the MSH fiasco. We developed communications and advocacy strategies and conducted our first baseline public opinion poll. We also revamped Bout de Papier magazine by switching to a digital-first model in order to increase readership.

Overall, our first Strategic Plan has proven invaluable in guiding us through the tumultuous last five years and ensuring that our operational decisions and choices served the membership. There have been many changes to our operating environment since 2020, however, and it’s time to revise and update the tool to help us through the next phase. 

Approach and methodology

As part of the year-long review and planning process, the President of PAFSO and the Executive Committee led three separate consultation sessions open to the membership, solicited comments from members and their families, PAFSO staff, and other stakeholders including retirees and former ExCom officers and volunteers, through webinars and a dedicated questionnaire that remained open for eight weeks. We also reviewed the results of the Triennial Survey as well as our questionnaire on discrimination and harassment and our first public opinion poll.^[1] The ExCom, working as the Committee of the Whole, held in-depth discussions on each broad priority to provide input on the substance and approaches, discuss the research, and review the drafts.

Environmental scan

A number of common themes emerged in our research and discussions of PAFSO’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), which we used to formulate the Strategic Priorities and Directions:

• Members are generally satisfied with PAFSO’s handling of “core business”, including collective bargaining, labour relations, communications, and administration, but there is an opportunity to be more responsive and innovative in meeting members’ needs.
• Although members were happy to sign a collective agreement in 2023 that will be in effect until 2026, they are concerned that the economic increases did not match inflation and see money as a major priority for the next round of negotiations.
• There is increasing concern and dissatisfaction with the conditions of service abroad including Foreign Service Directive (FSD) coverage and healthcare, is deterring some members from seeking postings abroad.
• Concern about the impact of rotational life on families and spouses remains high, and single and unaccompanied employees are also becoming more vocal about their needs for support. Employment for spouses, including employee couples, is a serious issue that has been outstanding since PAFSO’s inception.
• We have more work to do in understanding the intersectional impact of issues and work situations on different segments of the membership.
• The upcoming federal elections and possible change in government could threaten both PAFSO and its members. In particular, an election before the end of 2025 could affect our ability to make progress on the FSDs.
• Members are pleased with the President’s advocacy and media outreach efforts but there is always more that can be done.
• Members expect the President, ExCom, and staff to pursue an integrated strategy where the professional association and labour relations aspects of the Association support and reinforce each other.
• Increased recruitment and an influx of new members is both an opportunity and a challenge. PAFSO needs to work on ways to integrate and welcome new members in order to build and maintain a sense of community.
• The impact of events such as the ongoing Israel/Hamas conflict affects members differently depending on their identities and we need to improve our diversity, equity and inclusion capacity at both staff and EXCOM levels to ensure everyone is fully and fairly understood and represented.
• The profound impact of the COVID19 pandemic is still not fully known or understood at any level, including the Association, the membership or the Employer.
• As a whole, the membership is growing more disillusioned with the Employer and asking for a more direct approach from PAFSO, but it is difficult to engage members to take concrete action. Fear of reprisal is a particularly strong impediment.
• An engaged membership is key to projecting a positive image to the public and the Employer, which is an important prerequisite for gains at the negotiation table.
• Many issues fall outside the collective agreement and/or applicable legislation, and we need to be more creative and aggressive in dealing with them.
• Our baseline public opinion survey shows more support from the general public than expected and offers an opportunity to build more in key areas.
• Employer ineffectiveness on issues like Phoenix and healthcare abroad creates stress for members and drains PAFSO’s resources.
• Recent interest by the Senate and the House of Commons and increased government attention offers an opportunity for investment in the foreign service, but at the same time, the macroeconomic situation could mean cuts to the overall public service that are bound to affect both GAC and IRCC.
• There is growing concern about a split in interests and experiences between GAC and IRCC members, and about our ability to understand and represent the specific issues facing IRCC employees.

At the end of these discussions, a broad consensus emerged: while our mission, vision and values^[2], as well as our core strategic priorities remain valid, these significant shifts in our operating environment must be reflected in the new Plan.

Strategic Priorities and Directions

We are seeking the membership’s endorsement of the following strategic priorities and directions, which will provide PAFSO leadership with guidelines for decision-making and goal setting from 2025 to 2028:

1. Protect and represent the interests of the professional Foreign Service.
   
   Directions: negotiate a beneficial collective bargaining agreement in 2026, adopt a proactive, interest-based approach to representing members on labour relations issues and assisting them in areas of professional concern where possible; seek beneficial conditions of service through means such as the existing Foreign Service Directives and explore other mechanisms and proactively seek additional options for when existing ones prove inadequate in meeting the needs of members and their families; protect the health and safety of our members and their families in the workplace and abroad; educate members about the assistance we can provide and about our role as distinct from that of the Employer.
   
   
2. Advocate and engage with the public, media and decision-makers to ensure that PAFSO and our members are visible on important issues and that the full value of our contributions to Canada and Canadians is understood and recognized in concrete ways.
   
   Directions: organize a series of events and activities including a revamped Foreign Service Officer Award ceremony and publication for the 60^th Anniversary celebrations in 2025; ensure that a strategy is in place for the upcoming federal elections, including a possible shift to a less labour-friendly government; develop a “friends of the Foreign Service” network at the political level; continue to raise awareness of health and safety issues including health insurance and psychological safety, facing members and their families; develop partnerships and alliances with external stakeholders including other bargaining agents, NGOs, think tanks and universities; maintain and implement up to date advocacy and communications strategies linked to current issues.
   
   
3. Govern and operate the organization in a way that ensures we accurately represent the views and interests of our diverse membership.
   
   Directions: maintain and sustain our commitment to current and evolving best practices in financial, operational and governance matters; target programming to foster greater understanding, collaboration and sense of community among members; improve our ongoing consultation mechanisms and ensure participation on ExCom and PAFSO committees to ensure that we represent all segments of our membership; ensure that our actions are consistent with our mission, vision, values, and priorities.   

Next steps

The PAFSO ExCom and staff will work to develop appropriate operational plans for the elements of the strategy, and the President will report on overall implementation at the AGM.

Upon completion of this plan in 2027, an external consultant be hired to conduct an independent evaluation of PAFSO’s planning and implementation as preparation for a full strategic review and presentation of a new Plan in 2028. 

Appendix: What we heard

The following is a summary of the main inputs we used to develop the plan, including some of the representative comments received:

Triennial Survey

This survey, conducted by Bramm Research Inc., ran for 28 days in May and June 2024, with a response rate of 639 (or 30% of the membership).

KEY RESULTS

• In 2024, the average PAFSO member was 44 years old, female (55%) anglophone (63%), childless (54%) and married or living with a partner (61%).
• 17% of respondents identified as a member of a visible minority group. This number is higher at IRCC (22%) than at GAC (15%). Two percent identified as Indigenous.
• More members identified as persons with a disability in this survey than in 2021 (12% vs. 7%).
• 77% of the membership were at GAC and 23% at IRCC. This has not changed over the previous two surveys.
• 57% were abroad and 37% at headquarters (with the rest at regional offices, on leave, etc.). Fewer women (54%) were abroad than men (61%).
• Levels were divided roughly equally between FS01/2 and FS03/4. More than a quarter (28%) were in acting positions, down slightly from the last survey. FS01s now represent 12% of the total membership.
• Political (FPDS) remains the largest stream at 30%, followed by Immigration and Trade.
• The average member has 12 years of experience as an FS, and 29% have less than five years. Members of equity-seeking groups have slightly less (11-11.5).
• 80% had done (or were doing) at least one hardship posting abroad. 24% had done three or more.
• More than half of members (51%) report being subject to unfair treatment in the selection of an assignment abroad. This figure is improving from a high of 62% in 2018.
• Only 17% agreed or strongly agreed that their department supports their career development. Other low rated perceptions are in the areas of assignment transparency (21%), fair employee selection (25%), and receiving constructive feedback about candidature (27%).
• A large majority agreed or strongly agreed that “personal suitability” should be clearly defined and explained when it is a factor in hiring” (91%); skills, experience, and expertise should be the primary criteria (86%);  and FS should be able to identify all assignments abroad for which they are interested (84%).
• Overall, 42% of respondents agreed that without strong reasonable justification otherwise, their department should be able to direct FS to an assignment abroad, even if the FS did not identify the assignment in their preferences. However, significantly more male respondents (59%) supported this idea than female (22%).
• Only one member in ten has ever been confirmed for an assignment abroad and then refused it for any reason. This number has been consistent across the last two surveys. A slightly higher number (13%) report having an assignment revoked before departure. This number is slightly higher (20%) for those at IRCC.

• In deciding where to apply for a posting, female respondents considered three items to be critical more often than their male counterparts: who will be my manager (F: 55%, M: 33%), who is the Head of Mission (F:39 %, M: 19%), and the level of gender discrimination in the local environment (F: 20%, M: 6%). On the other hand, males felt that the possibility for my partner and/ or children to accompany me was critical more often than females (71% vs. 49%).
• There seemed to be a large shift in retirement planning between 2021 and 2024 as the percentage of those who felt they would leave the Foreign Service before retirement fell from 22% to 14% (perhaps due to the fact that a significant number of people did leave between 2021 and 2024). Those who said that they would not leave has increased to 54% from 47% in 2021 and 34% in 2018. In 2024, more females than males were unsure of their future (37% vs. 26%).
• When asked what factors would cause them to leave, fewer members (75% vs. 87%) cited feeling undervalued or demoralized, in 2024 than in 2021. However, it remains the top reason for leaving, along with few opportunities for career development (74%), and unreasonable workload demands and/ or lack of work-life balance (72%).
• Overall, 77% agreed that workplace diversity is supported, up from 69% in 2021.The highest proportions of disagreement were among those who identify as visible minorities (29%) or as 2SLGBTQI+ (28%). In 2021 the disagreement levels among these two groups were 40% and 30% respectively.
• Overall, the top three factors reported to adversely affect career progress were: family status (38%), proficiency in second official language (35%), sex (34%). This has remained consistent since 2021.
• 69% of those with a disability said that their disability was a barrier to career progress in the past year.
• Overall, 70% of PAFSO members report having worked abroad in an “unhealthy mission” (with air quality significantly poorer than major Canadian cities), similar to the previous two surveys. Higher proportions were reported by those working in IRCC (89%), those currently abroad (78%), and those at level FS 3/4 (77%).
• 41% agreed that they have experienced or been diagnosed with a psychological health condition. Higher levels of agreement were reported among the persons with disabilities (62%), the 2SLGBTQI+ cohort (48%), and those from visible minority communities (46%).
• The highest rated positive psychological health and safety factor (92% very important) was having a positive relationship with manager(s). Having consistent and quality service from department service providers continues to climb in importance (59% in 2018 to 67% in 2021 and 76% in 2024.
• For 2024, the top four negative factors affecting psychological health and safety in the workplace were the same as in 2021, i.e. (84%); unreliable, inefficient, or ineffective internal processes (82%); inconsistent and poor-quality service from dept. service providers (81%), and unreasonable workload (81%).
• 46% of members had concerns their personal safety or the safety of their families or loved ones on a posting abroad. Women reported concerns at a higher rate (50%) than men (36%). The most common reasons for concern were political unrest (43%) and insufficient or ineffective police services (42%).
• One half of those who answered the long survey reported having an issue with MSH International and slightly fewer (45%) with Canada Life. The number reporting an issue with MSH International rises steeply among those currently abroad (87%). Eighty-eight percent of those abroad reported delays in processing claims. 

• The most common effects of MSH International issues were stress and mental anguish resulting from dealing with customer service (67%), delays in repayment causing financial hardship (58%), and choosing to forgo certain treatments rather than fight with MSH (52%).

SELECTED COMMENTS

“I think that the FS specific issues should be the primary focus of PAFSO. While I know that general return to work and COVID are concerns, our issues overseas often get lost in the noise of other issues.”

“Alors que nos conditions se détériorent rapidement (assurance santé à l’étranger, effet de l’inflation sur nos salaires, délais déraisonnables pour paiements et RH), il est rassurant que l’APASE suive de près ces dossiers et puisse nous appuyer.”

“I strongly believe PAFSO needs to undertake a concerted advocacy effort to have the Foreign Service recognised in Canadian legislation and regulations in the same way that CAF and RCMP members are (taxation, elections, exemptions, trusted traveller programme, etc.).” 

“PAFSO should consider how best to support members at IRCC; the issues we face are quite different given that IRCC FS tend to spend a higher % of their careers abroad.”

“I believe PAFSO prioritizes the concerns of GAC FS over those of IRCC FS. My view is anchored in the approach toward the 2013 FS strike, where IRCC FS walkouts were used as a negotiating tool, far more than GAC FS. There was bias exhibited against IRCC FS in that event and I see that continuation of bias in the years since.”

“GAC employees accompanying their FS spouse abroad should automatically benefit from a teleworking agreement…this policy should be applicable GoC-wide and also include GoC agencies. The pandemic has put to bed the former argument that ‘teleworking agreement don’t work.’”

“Spousal employment remains an issue for the past how many decades?”

“While our conditions are deteriorating rapidly (health insurance abroad, impact of inflation on our salaries, unreasonable delays for payments and HR), it is reassuring to know that PAFSO is monitoring closely these issues and is able to support us”.

“More support/focus on challenges of being single on posting. Most family support is aimed at traditional families (two Canadian parents with children), but they are not the only ones that make up the FS.”

“As a single person with a pet, I don’t feel well reflected/protected by the FSDs (themselves) or the training which focus so heavily on families and children.”

“Provide proper training in second official language. Being expected to get CCC on own is discriminatory, particularly for people that grew up in monolingual communities, rural areas, from lower socio-economic background, with family responsibilities/lack of resources to get training, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, people that speak other languages, etc. This applies to both anglophones and francophones.”

“Concerns re MSH are a significant part of many members’ time and stress. It’s not just a matter of unpaid or delayed claims but also consequences for MSH and feeling supported and backed by the employer.”

“The MSH issue is crippling. The Department says they are dealing with it, but they are not. We do not have comparable coverage to Canada for health services abroad and I am frustrated with how little the Department is doing. We should be able to terminate contract with Canada Life at this stage as they are not fulfilling the role they were contracted to perform. Senior managers do not appear to understand this or the stress it is causing to families abroad.”

“GAC is still not addressing the problem of toxic management. Senior management has consistently failed to hold abusive people accountable. It’s something they absolutely need to address if they want to maintain a healthy workplace.”

“We are vulnerable to bully bosses in isolated postings, that have no checks and balances. Filing a grievance leaves us open to reputational risk that PAFSO does not protect us from. There is a gross imbalance on the side of the employer .  I would like to see PAFSO improve recognition for the sacrifices many FS and their families have made over the course of their careers to serve their countries in less-than-ideal situations. PAFSO should also look into the statistics on divorces in the FS community compared to other occupational groups, as well as instances of PTSD, and use this information to advocate for real change.”

‘I believe that one of PAFSO’s priorities needs to be the recent announcement requiring public servants to be in the office 3 days a week. While this does not affect me personally as I am posted abroad, I have heard and seen the impact this has on our colleagues in Canada. The lack of transparency, the suddenness of the announcement, the missing rationale and concrete evidence backing the decision, and the unilateral lack of consultation or communication with stakeholders before the decision was made are an insult to all of us.”

“Not all members want to work from home. Some would prefer a mandatory return to the office for 3 days a week or more, and that colleagues who work together also physically work in same office.”

Questionnaire on Harassment and Discrimination

This informal questionnaire, launched in response to concerns about harassment and discrimination linked to the Israel/Hamas conflict, ran for a month in January-February 2024. Most of the questions were open-ended in an effort to solicit the broadest possible range of views.

• Six percent of the 371 respondents reported having experienced discrimination in relation to the conflict in the Middle East. 10% reported similar experiences in relation to other conflicts.
• Four percent of respondents reported harassment as a result of their personal opinions on the current conflict. Eight percent reported incidents of harassment linked to other conflicts or issues.
• In both cases, there was some confusion about legal definitions, but it was clear that members are facing troubling and difficult situations.
• Females who identified as members of a visible minority group reported harassment and discrimination at a much higher rate (14%).
• Less that 2% of those surveyed had reported the incident to PAFSO. The main reasons for not contacting us were that they did not know about the services we offer, and that they had concerns about our ability to act, and/or about their privacy.

SELECTED COMMENTS

“I was excluded from a safe-space discussion as a result of my perceived, rather than actual, personal opinions.”

“I have faced discrimination specifically. In expressing my views to my immediate manager of how difficult it was during this time as an Arab Canadian in the department as a result of the biased and discriminatory position of the department.”

“Antisemitism from multiple people at GAC.”

“I did not face such situation because I have not spoken up. My sense is that there is no space to express a number of diverging views, even if done in a respectful and professional way.”

“I always learnt that as public servants, we are supposed to serve the public, be non-partisan, and represent the views and policies of the present government, whether I like it or not.”

“Personnellement, je choisis en toutes circonstances de garder mes opinions politiques pour la sphère privée. En tant que fonctionnaire, ca me semble raisonnable.”

“PAFSO needs to listen to its visible minorities, really listen to inform what PAFSO will be in a hundred years. What does inclusion mean in a successful white settler colonization? What values do we want to uphold and how do we uphold them fairly?”

“Personal harassment should be included in the collective agreement.”

“PAFSO should not be advocating for any particular position on the issues or policies directly related to any conflict but should be making sure individuals are protected and reasonably able to exercise their rights. It would also be useful for PAFSO to do some education on the role of a diplomat, as this seems to be missing from training at GAC/IRCC. Just because someone is an effective advocate for Canadian policy, no matter what that policy is, and can establish a rapport with people, even if they disagree with them, does not mean that person personally agrees with or supports a certain policy or action. All it means is that they are good at their job, and they should not face approbation from colleagues in a professional environment.”

“Professional education is needed to help people understand their roles. PAFSO is doing a great job staying focused on its mandate, but people need to understand the reality of being a diplomat and having to represent policies we don’t like. If they are not willing to do that, they need to go work someplace else. Politicization of our workplace, and the foreign service in general, is not good for our profession.”

“We talk about clear harassment or discrimination, and this is extremely important. But we rarely talk about more subtle mismanagement practices (passive aggressive style, undue pressure, lack of empathy or genuine interest in staff mental wellbeing or workload, no direct recognition). Those are difficult to demonstrate or gather visible evidence of, but it damages people over time.”

“Personally, I choose in all circumstances to keep my political views close to the vest. As a public employee, this seems reasonable to me.”

“Thank you PAFSO for taking a nuanced position and staying out of politics. FS must stay professional.”

“Our members must be able to work all over the world and our union must never make that harder for any of them, even those forced to do things they don’t agree with.”

Public Opinion Survey

Canseco Research conducted PAFSO’s first online national public opinion survey in June 2024. The goal was to obtain a baseline assessment of how both the Association and the FS Group are viewed across Canada to help us calibrate our outreach and advocacy activities.

Highlights of what we learned included:

• More than half of Canadians (52%)—and just over three-in-five residents of the National Capital Region (61%)—have a “very positive” or “moderately positive” opinion of Foreign Service officers. This is similar to other professionals employed by the federal government but not as high as military and police officers (66%) or doctors, nurses, and lawyers (75%).
• One-in-five Canadians (21%)—and 44% of residents of the Capital Region—are “very familiar” or “moderately familiar” with PAFSO.
• Sizeable proportions of these respondents say PAFSO is “very good” or “good” at advocating effectively on behalf of its members (86%) and operating with credibility and integrity (82%).
• More than a third of Canadians become “more supportive” upon learning that Foreign Servic Officers evacuate Canadians from war and disaster zones (36%) and Foreign Service Officers deliver humanitarian aid (34%).
• If PAFSO cannot reach a fair collective agreement in the next round of bargaining, more than a third of Canadians surveyed (35%) said they would be willing to sign a petition, while others would use social media to protest (21%), display a sign or wear a badge (14%), write a political party or leader (12%) or attend a protest (11%).
  
  

[1] More detail on these inputs can be found in the Appendix.

[2] These are outlined in Section 2 of our Constitution.