Okay. When was it taken?
Evidence of meeting #54 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was workplace.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #54 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was workplace.
A video is available from Parliament.
9:35 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
It was done about one month ago.
9:35 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
We're still sifting through the data. We had to scramble a little bit to assemble some statistics for this presentation.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
9:35 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
No. We haven't done it in many years, actually. It's long overdue.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
That leads to a follow-up. Ms. O'Neill Gordon mentioned the zero-tolerance policy that we hear about that exists in most organizations, especially federal workplaces. In the foreign service, is it the case that you really can't follow a zero-tolerance policy because you have to take into account all of the different cultural environments in which your employees serve?
9:35 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
Yes. I think you can have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to other Government of Canada employees—your co-workers, your supervisors, and so on. I believe that policy is in place and is followed.
9:35 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
But you're quite right. As I said earlier, it is, sadly, an occupational risk of life in the foreign service that you encounter in these situations abroad, both professionally and personally, when you're off the clock.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
So as an occupational hazard, is there anything that we could do as a government, that you could do as an association, to mitigate the damage—mental, psychological, or otherwise—to people who work for us abroad?
9:35 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
There is an employee support program in place at the Department of Foreign Affairs. It's based in Ottawa. They don't travel to each country where a complaint is lodged or concerns are raised, but they are available to consult by phone or e-mail.
As well, if they're aware that an employee is being treated in this fashion by one of their professional contacts outside the mission, one would expect that our managers in the field would take steps to mitigate that discomfort, mitigate that behaviour, either by changing that officer's job package or by intervening with that person's superiors in, say, the local foreign ministry or in the partner embassy. There are ways of mitigating it, but certainly the zero-tolerance blanket solution, which does exist and is within the purview of government when you're in Ottawa, is not available abroad.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Right. That's what I thought. Thank you.
It would be a shame, really, for us not to appoint the best qualified female candidate to a posting in one of the countries you talked about simply because you know the risks of that woman being harassed or treated poorly by the locals is high, whether that's in various Buddhist or Muslim countries, as you mentioned, or in other countries, where machismo is the issue. That's a slightly different problem, but it ends up the same as a result. That concerns me a bit.
You also mentioned structural impediments to making a complaint. One example would be living abroad; it's physically difficult to make a complaint, other than by e-mail or something like that.
What are some of the other structural impediments, and how do you deal with them?
9:40 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
Vicky spoke to these issues, too—
9:40 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
There's the idea that you may not get an assignment, that your career prospects may be harmed if you come forward. Again, corridor reputation is so important. It's even more important within the foreign service than most public service workplaces. I think that provides a disincentive for people to come forward, except in the most extreme cases.
9:40 a.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Marie-Claude Morin
Thank you.
We will now go to the other side.
Mrs. Day, you have five minutes.
December 6th, 2012 / 9:40 a.m.
NDP
Anne-Marie Day NDP Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Thank you.
Congratulations on being here. All your comments were very interesting.
My questions are mainly for you, Mr. Edwards. I see that you are wearing the white ribbon, so you are probably one of those men who have joined the campaign to put an end to violence. So congratulations again.
Mr. Edwards, do you have an idea of the number of women who have resigned or who have asked to be transferred for safety reasons or because of harassment?
9:40 a.m.
NDP
Anne-Marie Day NDP Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
You don't have any idea? You don't keep any statistics on that?
9:40 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
No, we don't keep any statistics.
9:40 a.m.
President, Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers
No. The members have to come to us first before we get involved. In most cases, members use the mechanisms available within their departments and do not ask their association to get involved.
9:40 a.m.
NDP
Anne-Marie Day NDP Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Okay.
How are staff members prepared before they leave? Is there any special training before they leave?