Rethinking Canada’s Foreign Ministry: Could Smaller be More Beautiful?

Much of my time during 30 years at DFAIT – in addition to performing many and varied day jobs – was spent doing whatever I could to encourage reform. Trying to change the system from within did not result in 20 years of boredom – far from it. And that protracted struggle may even have helped to get me elected to a record five terms on the Executive Committee of PAFSO, the diplomats’ professional association and bargaining unit.

On balance, however, except for vivid memories, some entertaining anecdotes  and a few useful lessons learned, I have little to show for my efforts at encouraging better public policy and administration.

Looking back, what had changed over three decades?

Not the number of levels in the organizational hierarchy, which remains the same at seven between desk officer and Deputy Minister.

Not the bureaucratic culture, which remains cloistered, conservative, almost inert.

By my reckoning, DFAIT now has fewer friends, less influence, and more diminished discretionary resources than… probably ever.

This amounts to just about the opposite of what has become of the Canadian military, whose star, relative to other federal government departments and agencies, has in recent years continued to rise.

So…Does the sidelining and marginalization of Canada’s foreign ministry really matter?

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