A National Post investigation finds Global Affairs Canada risk-averse, Ottawa-centric and top-heavy, with the same problems identified for four decades. Pam Isfeld says not much has changed since the McDougall commission.
“We’ve been identifying the same issues, you know, for 40-some years since the McDougall commission report.”
The Indo-Pacific Strategy promises more diplomatic capacity in the region but offers few details about the new demands on the foreign service. Pam Isfeld welcomes more positions but questions whether the service has the people to fill them.
“I’m not quite sure that the rubber meets the road, and that’s always where the problem comes in.”
A report by a Canadian diplomat warns that keeping a generalist foreign service, instead of building subject-matter expertise, risks leaving Canada behind its allies. Pam Isfeld says the service must be staffed properly so it doesn’t have to scramble for each crisis.
Read the articleOttawa won’t say whether it will follow the United States in compensating diplomats affected by Havana Syndrome. Pam Isfeld says members most want answers.
“Let’s get to the bottom of what this is so that we can figure out what the best way of helping people is.”
Analysts say singling out one Global Affairs Canada official for attending a Russian Embassy event was unfair, calling it a failure of process. Pam Isfeld agrees.
“We think it’s a bit unfair that she’s the one out there on this.”
La Presse report: a stand-off is brewing between Global Affairs Canada and PAFSO over the return to in-person work three days a week. Pam Isfeld questions whether the department analyzed the actual work involved.
« On se demande s’ils ont vraiment fait une analyse du vrai travail ou s’il y a des gestionnaires qui veulent seulement voir les travailleurs sur place. »
Interview: as PAFSO pilots a full-time president, OpenCanada speaks with Pam Isfeld, a diplomat of 26 years who served in Moscow, Nairobi, Sarajevo, Kabul, Kandahar and Warsaw, about her priorities and the Havana Syndrome crisis.
Read the articlePAFSO says that if the government will pay a politically connected appointee nearly double to serve as a diplomat, it should remember that pay scale when bargaining with foreign service officers.
“We do however hope that the employer will bear in mind this salary scale in its negotiations with the professional foreign service.”