Update from the President of PAFSO for January 17, 2025

Dear members,

Let me begin by wishing everyone all the best for the new year. I hope everyone had a chance to rest up and recharge over the break. The year seems to be starting off with quite the bang. We’re only in the second full week of 2025, and already so much has happened on the Canadian political stage. And that’s where I want to begin this first update of the year.

The cabinet shuffle, prorogation and the new FSDs
A great deal has happened in federal politics since my last message to you on Friday, December 20. In fact, it was on that afternoon that we learned of a major shuffle of the Trudeau cabinet. The Prime Minister added eight new MPs to his cabinet and reassigned another four. These changes meant that Anita Annand left her position as President of the Treasury Board to become Minister of Transport and Internal Trade. She has been replaced by Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the former Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour. These kinds of changes are not unusual, however, this particular one, and its timing, has the potential to impact the conclusion of the cyclical review of the FSDs. 

When I reported to you in my last message of 2024, the cyclical review was nearing its conclusion. In fact, the NJC’s Executive Committee had already signed off on the agreed-upon changes to the directives. And we were told that sign-off from then Treasury Board President Annand was also imminent. Obviously, with the shuffle that took place later that afternoon, timelines got slightly derailed.

Last Monday we got yet another surprise with the Prime Minister stepping down and announcing the prorogation of Parliament. Regardless of the impacts this will have on the greater political landscape, prorogation does not trigger the “caretaker convention” and will not affect the regular functioning of government. This includes the signing off of the new FSDs by incoming Treasury Board President Petitpas Taylor. Since the new FSDs contain many provisions that are strongly supported by both the Bargaining Agents and the Employer, we hope she will not change course at this time. Barring the understandable delays arising from assuming a new position, we hope to see this wrapped up in the next few weeks, so the revised directives can come into effect in the new fiscal year.

Should anything else come up on this file, we’ll be sure to let you know. But as things stand now, we are hopeful that by April we will have a new set of directives in place.

PAFSO 60 and Nominations for the Diamond Jubilee Award
As previously mentioned, PAFSO is turning 60 this year. And to mark our 60th anniversary of promoting Canada’s professional Foreign Service, we will be holding a gala reception on Wednesday, June 4, at the National Gallery of Canada. Make sure you mark your calendars for this special evening celebrating the past, present and future of PAFSO and the Foreign Service.

As part of the event, we have created the PAFSO 60 Diamond Jubilee Award to recognize the exceptional achievements of our members. Do you have a colleague who deserves recognition for their extraordinary achievements? If so, you should consider nominating them for the award. Nominations are now open until April 4, 2025. You learn more about the award and the nominations process here on our site.

Nominations Committee: seeking a volunteer
In preparation for the elections for President that will take place in early spring, Section 8(f) of the PAFSO Constitution calls for the formation of a Nominations Committee to “determine the precise manner of elections, solicit and vet the credentials and eligibility of candidates, provide information on the elections process, and oversee the management of the process by PAFSO staff.” We’re looking for help from a member from outside the Executive Committee who can spare approximately 8–10 hours between now and the end of April. If you’re interested in this opportunity, and do not plan to stand for election in this cycle yourself, please send an e-mail to the attention of Ashley Durec at info@pafso.com.

RESCHEDULED: Webinar on the Future of the FS Group at IRCC 27 February at 1200 Ottawa time
As some of you may already know, we had to postpone last week’s webinar due to unforeseen events.  The new date for the session is Thursday, 27 February at noon, Ottawa time. Hopefully this will be a convenient time for even more people to join me and Sylvain de Cotret, Director of Workforce Management at IRCC, for a discussion on the department’s plans for the future of the FS group. Click here to register for the session. If you already registered for the January timeslot, you don’t need to do it again. And should you have specific questions you would like me to raise, please send them to info@pafso.com before close of business Ottawa time on February 25.

Webinar with Tim Martin on his book Unwinnable Peace on Tuesday, January 21 at 1130
Please join me for a conversation with Tim Martin, former PAFSO member, Head of Mission, and Representative of Canada in Kandahar, on his book Unwinnable Peace. Our discussion will focus on the lessons learned for Canada in the Afghanistan conflict, and on the value of diplomats in complex conflict situations. Please click here to register for the session.

Well, that does it for this week. Though it was a short message, it covered some pretty important topics. As I mentioned, I will keep you posted as to what happens with the FSDs in the coming weeks.

For anything else, do not hesitate to reach out to us. Are you having issues with your pay? Do you feel harassed or discriminated against? Do you have a grievance or a staffing complaint? Or do you just want some clarifications on our collective agreement or the FSDs? Whatever the case, PAFSO is here for you. Just send us an email with your name, department and a detailed description of your concerns. For anything and everything else, please send us an email at info@pafso.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

It was nice to have a bit of a break, but it’s also nice to be back. We’ll chat again in early February. Until then, take care of yourselves and each other.

All the best,

Pam Isfeld
President
@PafsoPresApase