Thank you, Madam Chair.
My name is Tim Edwards. I am the President of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers.
The Professional Association of Foreign Services Officers, PAFSO, is the bargaining agent for Canada's non-executive diplomats, representing nearly 1,400 employees working mainly in Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Canada Border Services Agency. Of our membership, 53% are men and 47% women.
I will note at the outset that PAFSO does not have specific recommendations to suggest respecting the Treasury Board’s policy on harassment prevention and resolution of October 2012, or on harassment complaint and reporting mechanisms within the public service. I do, however, have several points to make concerning sexual harassment in the federal workplace and related topics falling within this committee’s mandate.
In the fall of 2012, PAFSO conducted a comprehensive survey to assess our members' demographic make-up, their conditions of work, and the personal impacts of life in the foreign service. More than half of our members completed the survey, providing a very reliable statistical baseline.
Almost one-third—32%—of all respondents indicated that they had been the target of verbal, physical, or sexual harassment or other abusive behaviour in the workplace, either at headquarters in Ottawa or while posted abroad. The percentage who said they had witnessed such behaviour stood at 45%.
While the survey structure does not allow for a breakdown by gender, established statistical trends in the public service workplace suggest that it is fair to assume that women responded in the affirmative at a significantly higher rate than men.
Despite statutory whistle-blower protections, it is often difficult for women to report such incidents, given concerns over the potential impact on one’s career advancement or one’s ability to secure a desirable assignment in the future. Unlike other public servants, members of the foreign service do not “own” their positions; rather, we are appointed to a level in the FS group and then assigned into positions temporarily, according to departmental needs, and we must compete for a new assignment every two to four years.
Since these are assignments and not appointments in the traditional sense of the word, they are not subject to the usual transparency and fairness requirements of conventional staffing. As a result, one’s nebulous so-called “corridor reputation” becomes a hugely important criterion for selection for each assignment. You can see in what way there would be significant structural disincentives to coming forward if you have been harassed.
Even if one decides to seek recourse, this can be challenging for foreign service officers posted abroad, as they are isolated from both their traditional support network of family and friends as well as those managing the complaint, with potentially fewer witnesses to corroborate their story. Such discomfort is heightened at small or mid-sized missions, where a smaller staff complement—as few as two or three, and all the way up to, say, fifteen or so—operates under very close working conditions in which one is not easily moved to another work unit or work location. And this is to say nothing of when one's supervisor is the assailant.
Beyond harassment, service abroad carries additional unique challenges. The demands of the job often put female foreign service officers in harm’s way. Among respondents who had served overseas, almost 50% had experienced a terrorist attack in the city or region where they were based; 48% had experienced a natural disaster; 64% had been exposed to civil disobedience; 41% to armed conflict; and 35% to an epidemic or a pandemic.
Assessing the impact of recent federal budget cuts, 36% of respondents reported a decrease in their family’s quality of life abroad, and 52% reported an increase in family stress levels at post. Given the continuing preponderance of women as the lead caregivers in family relationships, including within Canada’s diplomatic corps, it is safe to say that these impacts are disproportionately felt and absorbed by female officers. Indeed, anecdotal comments that accompanied our survey responses specifically flagged the quality and cost overseas of housing, educational facilities, child care, and medical treatment.
Women often face different challenges from their male counterparts during posting. This is especially true in societies where religious or cultural values are not compatible with Canadian norms of gender equality, such as in strict Buddhist or Islamic countries. One female officer put it this way:
Being a female diplomat in the Middle East often exposes me to situations where I am the only woman in a given environment. It can be difficult being the object of constant scrutiny, curiosity, and sometimes overt harassment, especially as there is no escape from it. I have required a male companion in many situations that were too uncomfortable, and possibly dangerous, without one. In practical terms, my workplace is fundamentally different than it would be [for any other federal public servant] and I have accepted those risks and inconveniences. However, over the course of years, the reality of the scrutiny and the constant spectre of harassment can contribute to professional and personal burnout.
Another female officer had this to say:
In Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks are active in politics and national [life]. During the peace process, this required interaction with religious leaders in promoting Canada's values and priorities. But their strict rules of no contact with women—they will not even shake hands or accept a business card if there is a risk of touching—meant that I was at a disadvantage as a female diplomat in that I was often seated further away than my male counterparts. For example, a male Australian officer was seated next to the host of an important event while I was seated among lower-level staff despite my equal diplomatic rank. It limited my ability to interact with key players.
Female officers also experience unwanted physical attention and harassment in certain countries where machismo is valued more than sensitivity. This is particularly infuriating where the sources of harassment are local work contacts outside the mission, for example, your counterparts in local government ministries in the countries where we are assigned, or fellow diplomats from partner countries. Yet short of being recalled at great expense in the middle of your assignment, your position demands that you continue working with them week in, week out, without any option for recourse, redress, or resolution. The fact that alcohol is usually served at functions where Canadian diplomats conduct advocacy and networking activities on behalf of the government does not help matters.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have attempted to provide a snapshot of challenges faced by members of the foreign service that are unique within the federal public service as they relate to sexual harassment and, more generally, our conditions of work abroad in the service of Canada and Canadians.
I would be pleased to answer any questions or help the committee obtain any additional information you may require.
Thank you.