RHOMA WEBINAR June 12, 2020
A Seat for Canada on the UN Security Council?
As communicated on May 27, we will be hosting our first RHOMA webinar on Friday, June 12 at 1:00 P.M. (Eastern Daylight Time) on the subject of Canada’s chances for the upcoming election, on June 17, for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
This will be an exclusive RHOMA event, open only to RHOMA members. The audience is limited to 100 persons. It will be a live, on-line event hosted on the Zoom video conferencing platform. Registration is required and is done by clicking on the link below.
REGISTER: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mLH0gly5Tmawk2YjpsEkfA
There will be no direct audience participation in this first webinar, but you can send questions for the panelists in advance by emailing Penny Reedie at pennyreedie@bell.net no later than Thursday, June 11.
The webinar will be recorded and available at a later time (on the Members Only portion of the RHOMA website).
Here is more about our first webinar:
On June 17, Canada will be running for election to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (2021-23). There are two available seats with Ireland and Norway the other candidates.
Why is this important for Canada and what are the country’s chances to win a seat?
Join RHOMA President Gilles Rivard as he discusses these and other questions with Canada’s former Permanent Representative to the UN (2012-16), Guillermo Rishchynski and former Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Henri-Paul Normandin (2006-10) in a live webinar at 1:00 P.M. Friday, June 12.
HIGH WIRE / SUR LA CORDE RAIDE : Watch this excellent NFB documentary on Canada’s decision not to enter the US-led war against Iraq IN 2003. On trouve, parmi les vedettes, des membres de l’ACMAR, incluant Paul Heinbecker et Claude Laverdure!
https://www.nfb.ca/film/high-wire/
High Wire
Claude Guilmain
2019 | 1 h 22 min
High Wire examines the reasons that Canada declined to take part in the 2003 US-led military mission in Iraq, shining a spotlight on the diplomatic tug of war that took place behind the scenes with our neighbours to the south, who have often adopted an interventionist foreign policy to serve their own economic and geopolitical interests. Canada’s historic refusal could have had disastrous consequences, but a number of key players and other analysts remind us of the terrible price we pay when diplomacy fails.
Sur la corde raide
https://www.onf.ca/film/sur-la-corde-raide/?docs-hp_fr=feature_1&feature_type=w_free-film
Retournez en 2003, alors que le Canada refuse de suivre les États-Unis dans l’invasion de l’Irak, dans ce documentaire de Claude Guilmain sur le bras de fer diplomatique qui s’est alors joué en coulisse.
RHOMA promotes Not Mentioned in Dispatches in Prince Edward County on Radio 99.3 FM (March 8, 2020)
Listen here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rpxa730q7wxbo4k/CWCR%20Gary%20Smith%20Alena%20Schram.mp3?dl=0
Blazing new trails: Canada’s first woman trade commissioner (CANADEXPORT 5 March 2020)
Patricia Marsden‑Dole had caught the travel bug long before applying to Canada’s foreign service in early 1969.
The native of Vancouver, who had already studied abroad at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, and was then living in London, wrote the foreign service exam there, mostly to appease her family. They appreciated her sense of wanderlust but preferred for her to be rooted in Canada, and they figured that a position representing the country internationally would accomplish that.
A time of social change
In those days, however, many such professions were not entirely open to women. “You could be a nurse, a librarian or a teacher,” recalls Marsden‑Dole, now 75.
She wasn’t even so sure that she wanted to be a diplomat, “and I had no intention of going back to Canada,” she says. Marsden‑Dole also stated in the interview following the test that she wanted to work in the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS), because she’d been told in a recruiting session back in 1967 when she attended the University of British Columbia that “they didn’t take women at all,” she allows.
Patricia Marsden‑Dole in 1992
A major transformation was coming, however, for Marsden‑Dole and the TCS, as well as for the country in general. “It was a time of change in Canada—social change.”
The Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada had been holding public hearings that highlighted the widespread problems of inequality faced by women. Marsden‑Dole says this prompted the government to open up jobs to them in certain career streams of the public service, including trade.
Blazing a trail
She got the job and joined the TCS in August 1969 on the advice of her future husband, “who advised me to give the opportunity a shot.” The first year for her team of new recruits was spent visiting companies large and small across the country, getting to know their needs and expectations as exporters. “It was really hands‑on; we were dealing with our future clients,” remembers Marsden‑Dole, who had studied political science, economics and industrial/economic history. She quickly saw and became enthusiastic about the important job that lay before her as a trade commissioner. “I was emotionally and intellectually committed to the need to keep jobs in Canada.”
However, as a pioneering woman in the role, “you certainly weren’t one of the boys,” says Marsden‑Dole. “You had the feeling that you were surplus. They just didn’t think that women could—or should—do these jobs.”
The rotational part of the career definitely satisfied her hunger for travel. Indeed, her debut posting in 1970 at the age of 24 was to New Delhi, “which was like being parachuted into Middle Earth,” given its entirely different culture, she explains. It was also tough to work in what was then a man’s service. “I was sent to Delhi to prove that women trade commissioners weren’t up to it,” she comments. “Nobody knew what to do with me, and they hoped that I would give up and go home.”
Marsden‑Dole felt lonely and frustrated but quickly got busy selling agricultural machinery, aircraft, defence equipment “and anything else that would keep me out exploring the fading, romanticized legacy of British India.” For instance, there was demand from Indian Airlines for airplane seats and from farmers in the Punjab for agricultural equipment to feed the country’s exciting “Green Revolution,” she says. “I liked going up there because it was a long way from the office.”
Postings in various parts of the foreign service and to far‑flung missions followed, including the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States (Cleveland, Ohio,) New Delhi again, Tanzania and Portugal—the latter two positions as head of mission.
“It really expanded my vision of the world,” says Marsden‑Dole, who is proud of her many accomplishments along the way. In Australia, for example, she found success selling dry‑land agricultural machinery, which Canada specializes in, to farmers hit by drought. “We were able to get a lot of deals done,” she says.
Returning home – continuing to have an impact
“I felt that I was doing something important and useful for Canadian economic independence,” says Marsden‑Dole, as well as improving relations between Canada and the countries where she worked. She was Canadian Ambassador to Portugal from 1994 to 1998, at the time of the controversial North Atlantic “fish wars”, for instance, and was part of a project to bring together fishing families from Newfoundland and Portugal. They sailed aboard a traditional Portuguese four‑masted ship between the two countries, which was an initiative of the International Year of the Oceans in 1998. Marsden‑Dole, who has Newfoundland heritage, found the experience “very meaningful.”
When she represented Canada abroad, “in my day, my opposite numbers were always male,” remarks Marsden‑Dole. “And late in the day I discovered and immensely enjoyed working in trade policy at home.” She retired in 2003, earned a Doctorate in Applied Theology and has become widely recognized as a volunteer community activist and advocate for seniors’ issues.
Marsden‑Dole is proud to have blazed a trail in the TCS, where she showed that women were indeed able to do the job, “even as mothers of young families”. She considers that both women and men trade commissioners equally do critical work that benefits the country.
“The really important skill is to have an organic sense of what’s driving the economy wherever you are and to see the fit for Canada in that,” she adds. “When you find a connection between a Canadian seller and a foreign buyer, gender doesn’t matter.”
Contract Opportunity at GAC (December 12, 2019)
The Access to Information and Privacy Protection Division at Global Affairs Canada has received a special request for historical diplomatic documents (esp. cold war documents) and seeks experienced (former) senior public servant(s) to hire to work through them. The project consists of doing analysis of a specific set of ATIPs that have been received from both Library and Archives and PCO. Some of the documentation dates back to the 1940’s. The level of the contract would be PM-04 and the modalities (full-time, part-time, casual etc.) are negotiable.
Should any RHOMA member be interested in pursuing this opportunity, contact Mathieu Roy, Deputy Director, DCP, GAC, telephone 343 203-3378, email: Mathieu.roy@international.gc.ca.
RHOMA Members Promote Not Mentioned in Dispatches
RHOMA members Gary Smith and Lillian Thomsen were in the news and one the radio promoting RHOMA’s newest publication, Not Mentioned in Dispatches.
Perth Courier article : https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/9744924-with-video-from-pets-as-a-soft-power-diplomatic-tool-to-pierre-s-peace-pursuit-perth-s-gary-smith-contributes-to-new-book/
Videos:
Former Canadian ambassador Gary Smith reads aloud about the importance of pets to the family of diplomats at Coutts coffee shop in Perth on Nov. 25, 2019.
Former Canadian diplomat Lillian Thomsen reads aloud about a meeting she had with an intimidating ballerina teacher in Moscow in the early 1990s at Coutts co.
Anne Leahy named Colonel Commandant of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service
RHOMA board member Anne Leahy was recently named Colonel Commandant of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service with rank of Honorary Captain (N). She is the first woman to hold this position. It is akin to an honorary patron, in this case, of the Chaplain service of the Canadian Forces.
RHOMA’s Annual Reception 2019
Dear Colleague/Associate Member,
You and your spouse/guest are cordially invited to attend RHOMA’s Annual Reception to be held on the 9th Floor of the Lester B. Pearson Building on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres, wines, fruit juices and mineral waters will be served. The cost is $50.00 per person.
Please see attached: Invitation letter with full details; parking pass; map to access to Lester B Pearson Building.
Payment options:
1) To pay online (via Eventbrite link)
Click on the following link: https://rhoma-acmar-dec102019.eventbrite.ca
2) Please detach and return with your cheque made payable to RHOMA
TO:
RHOMA
P.O. Box 53190, Stn. Rideau Centre
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 1C5
I plan to attend:
Reception
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
9th Floor, L. B. Pearson Building
Herewith my cheque made out to RHOMA for $_____________
__________________________________________
Name (PLEASE PRINT)
__________________________________________
Spouse/Guest
__________________________________________
Address, City/Prov., Postal Code
__________________________________________
Telephone
Parking Permit:
‘edifice lester b pearson RHOMA Parking Permit – RHOMA2019 RHOMA 2019 reception Invitation
Invitation:
RHOMA 2019 reception Invitation
Map:
RHOMA LUNCHEON
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019
THE ROYAL OTTAWA GOLF CLUB
Dear Colleagues,
Most of you will know by now that the November 20 RHOMA Writers Luncheon will feature the fifth annual celebration of books written by retired Foreign Service colleagues. One of the main features this year will of course be the launching of the second RHOMA/ACMAR collection of colleague stories and anecdotes. The new volume is entitled “Not Mentioned in Dispatches / Confidences peu diplomatiques”.
As in the past, RHOMA members and other retired Foreign Service authors are arranging for copies of their books to be available at the sales table before and following lunch. There will be many titles available, some of them published in the year since we last held this popular event on the RHOMA/ACMAR calendar. We will of course invite authors of the most recent titles to give us a brief description of their work and the source of inspiration behind the initiative to write…still hoping to inspire others amongst us to take similar initiatives.
The Board also will take this opportunity to announce the twenty “Ambassadors of Note”.
In the meantime, you should come equipped with cash, cheques or credit card in order to capitalize on the opportunity to pick up some new retirement fuel and to do some pre-season gift shopping at the sales table.
This luncheon will also provide the final opportunity to pick up a copy of DECLASSIFIED, the 1st collection of anecdotes by RHOMA members, introduced, already three years ago, at the 2016 Writers Lunch.
Please note that our usual practice of limiting luncheons to members and spouses, is waived for the November 20 event and non-affiliated guests of members will be most welcome.
Our luncheon will take place at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club on Aylmer Road at 12 (noon) for drinks. Luncheon will be served at 12:30 pm. The cost is $37.00 per person. Please confirm your attendance by email to info@rhoma-acmar.ca or by telephone at 613-916-6358 at least two days in advance. The deadline for cancellation is 12 noon the day before the luncheon. Members who confirm their attendance but do not attend the luncheon will be responsible for payment.
Please also note that the Royal Ottawa Golf Club has a policy for those who wish to order a different main course than the one offered – whether for dietary restrictions or other – that such requests must be made at the time of your reservation. If one does not make the request ahead of time (minimum one week in advance) and asks for a special meal at the lunch, that person will be billed for the cost of two meals.
Payments are made directly to the Royal Ottawa Golf Club, not RHOMA. You may pay at the door in cash, with a cheque (payable to the ROGC), by Debit Card, or by Credit Card.
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday the 20th.
Penny Reedie
Program Director
Retired Heads of Mission Association (RHOMA)
RHOMA Membership Renewal 2019
On behalf of the RHOMA Board of Directors, allow me first of all to extend to you and your loved ones all our best wishes for this new year.This is also the time year for us to invite you to renew your RHOMA membership for the year 2019.
Your association, RHOMA, is engaged in a number of activities to promote a strong and professional Foreign Service, to contribute to education in foreign affairs and diplomacy, to promote an appreciation of the history, achievements, traditions and standards of the Canadian Foreign Service, and to present views on the development and implementation of policies related to international affairs. A separate report on the activities of the association over the past year was sent to your attention last month.
For all these good reasons and to maintain the general camaraderie of RHOMA’s fellowship, we encourage you to renew your 2019 membership, covering the period of January to the end of December. The membership fee is maintained at $60.00. As always, your early payment is greatly appreciated.
There are two ways to effect payment:
On-Line: The preferred method is the PayPal option that will allow members to pay effortlessly and electronically and incur no additional charges for the convenience of transacting on-line. This is done by clicking on RHOMA’s 2019 membership renewal link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2D9LKE52XMS9S
Under ‘Choose a way to pay’, PayPal provides you with two electronic payment options: 1) Pay with PayPal; or 2) Pay with a credit or Visa Debit card. Members who would like to proceed with Option 1 but who do not already have a PayPal account will need to open one (ONCE ONLY). They can do so by visiting http www.paypal.com and following the directions to ‘Sign Up’.
Once completed, members should click on RHOMA’s 2019 membership renewal link, provided above, and follow the instructions.
By mail: Enclose your cheque payable to RHOMA in the amount of $60.00 and address it to RHOMA, PO Box 53190, Stn. Rideau Centre, Ottawa, ON, K1N 1C5.
We are also putting the final touches to the 2019 Directory that will include the coordinates of all members and associates who have fully paid their 2018 annual membership fees.
Should you have any corrections to suggest (e.g. a change of address), please let us know by February 8, at the following address: info@rhoma-acmar.ca
Finally, we invite you to visit our “new and much improved” website – www.rhoma-acmar.ca. You won’t be disappointed!
We look forward to your continuing membership in RHOMA and extend our very best
wishes for 2019.
Louise L. Léger
RHOMA Treasurer
November 11, 2018, Ottawa
Terry Colfer (standing on left of the World War 2 veteran in the wheelchair), a RHOMA member since 2003, joins veterans during the 2018 Remembrance Day ceremony at the War Memorial in downtown Ottawa. Prior to joining the Foreign Service Terry, a graduate of The Royal Military College class of ‘65, was an Army paratrooper and served in the Gaza Strip.