Comments
to New Canadian Heads of Mission
(Latin America, Africa and Caribbean)
by Hon. David Kilgour, Secretary of State
(Latin America & Africa)
Bisson Campus, Hull, Québec, May
26, 1998
It is a great
honour to meet Canada’s new Heads of
Mission going abroad to posts in Latin America,
Africa and the Caribbean. All of you have
been chosen because of special qualities
that make you suited for these challenging
posts.
I’ve
been asked to share with you some words
of advice. Given all the training you’ve
recently been through, it should, of course,
be me turning to you for advice instead.
Once you are settled into your new posts,
there will hopefully be many occasions when
I’ll look to your wisdom.
In the past
year, I’ve visited several of the cities
where some of you will be posted. In Africa:
Abidjan and Accra; and Bridgetown in the
Caribbean. In Latin America, I’ve visited
Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Quito,
San José and Sao Paulo. You will
be filling the shoes of some very capable
people.
Here in Ottawa,
you may have wondered about the wisdom of
a top-heavy system with three ministers
and two secretaries of state. Viewing it
from outside, you may see the rationale.
My colleague Lloyd Axworthy has travelled
extensively to Europe and elsewhere in the
past year, but next month when he visits
Ouagadougou, it will be his first chance
to get to Sub-Saharan Africa. On the other
hand, Minister Marleau and I have both visited
a number of African countries. This system
gives Canada greater international reach.
The world is becoming too complex for one
minister alone.
What kinds
of qualities make a good ambassador or high
commissioner? Precisely the kinds of qualities
for which you were chosen. Of course these
skills will be honed further by your experience
in the field. You are curious; you have
energy and drive; you have a sense of balance
and empathy for the vast range of people
you will be dealing with. You have the ability
to distill large amounts of information
and make it clear and understandable to
your contacts at home and in the countries
of your posting. You have a good nose for
the politics of your host country and Canada,
and you know the kinds of issues that will
draw attention.
Your skills
run the gamut from management, to diplomatic,
to human skills. You are the head of a family,
both literally and figuratively. Often your
spouse is called upon to perform at super-human
levels gratis. The importance of treating
locally engaged staff well cannot be emphasized
enough. They are an essential resource and
link to the host country, and I’ve
been very impressed by the ones I’ve
met.
You are always
on stage. Those of you going to Latin America
will soon enough learn – if you don’t
know already – that the phrase "unas
palabras" means it’s your turn
to give an impromptu speech and to appear
as though you are an expert on anything
and everything.
One of my
African colleagues tells me it is completely
inappropriate to begin a speech in Africa
by saying: "Well, hi folks." Instead,
you must address each of your hosts in strict
order of protocol. His trick, by the way,
was to listen to the previous speaker and
to write down furtively the names in the
correct order.
All this
boils down to having a sensitivity to the
culture of the country where you are posted
– again a skill for which you have
been selected. Of course, sometimes that’s
easier said than done. The food you are
offered at ceremonial occasions – no
matter how unfamiliar – is always excellent,
no matter what you really may think.
On a visit
to an African country, I was presented by
our hosts with a live ram. I had brief visions
of him playing with our dog, Ela, or keeping
the lawn at home clipped, but in the end
it was left in the backyard of our ambassador.
Not only did our ambassador have to do some
fancy diplomatic footwork when the ram charged
at him, but he also had to get me gracefully
out of any protocol problems arising from
accepting live gifts.
One of your
tasks will involve dealing with ministers
and secretaries of state. Whenever you are
in Ottawa, please be assured that my door
is always open. It is very important that
we maintain personal contact whenever possible
so that we in Ottawa are aware of your needs
and can work with you on the same team.
You have been trained to be deferential,
but I am most comfortable when an ambassador
calls me "David" and doesn’t
provide any special treatment.
As someone
on the ground and close to a situation,
you are relied upon by visiting ministers
and secretaries of state for your familiarity
with local circumstances. Our Ambassador
in Nairobi, Bernie Dussault, provided essential
expertise when he travelled with me to the
other Great Lake countries last September.
His knowledge of changing conditions, personal
contacts and the local culture was invaluable.
Please also
take the time to reach out to the public,
especially when you are in Canada. This
year a number of Canadian heads of mission
took part in outreach activities, addressing
the public through the media, video conferencing,
speaking engagements at universities, and
return visits to their home towns. Outreach
activities are important both for communicating
with Canadians about the work you do, and
for hearing what’s on the public’s
mind.
Visits by
ministers and secretaries of state to your
posts can sometimes help move your agenda
forward. Of course some countries are more
impressed than others by the visit of a
minister. You can count on my support whenever
possible. Our role, in turn, is to reinforce
the local stature of the head of mission.
The visit
of a minister can present unique challenges.
One diplomat confides that he worries less
about the details of complex technical discussions
than the little glitches that can occur
at the personal level – a driver in
the wrong place, a dietary requirement overlooked,
bad acoustics in a hall where a speech is
to take place. That kind of problem is immediately
obvious to all, and that is why good relations
with your staffs are so essential. They
are the ones you rely on for such details.
"Max flex" is a good operating
philosophy.
All of you
are going to posts with unique histories
and challenges, and all of these are important
as Canada reaches out to the world. Latin
America has always had goodwill toward Canada,
but has been especially receptive to us
in recent years as we increased our involvement
in that region. More and more, Latin America
sees us as an important ally. Those of you
going there face the challenge of deepening
a relationship that is moving in the right
direction.
Having just
returned from the Caribbean, including Bridgetown,
I am most impressed by our close ties with
that region and their deep historic roots.
There has been an unfortunate tendency to
take the Caribbean for granted. That is
a mistake we must all work to rectify. Never
take your best friends for granted.
Finally,
Africa presents its own challenges that
reflect rapid change on that continent.
A number of countries are striving to restore
stability and implement good governance
as preconditions to economic development.
Canada can play a supportive role in this
process. The challenges remain immense,
but the rewards are great.
Let me remind
you that what ultimately counts, what you
will pass on to your children and grandchildren,
is the difference you make in people’s
lives. Sometimes the accomplishments are
modest, but they make a difference to real
people. You will often meet beneficiaries
of Canada Fund projects face to face –
former street children learning occupational
skills for the first time, for example.
Last week
when I visited Guyana, the Canadian Embassy
hosted a reception at which President Janet
Jagan and Opposition Leader Desmond Hoyte
came together for a historic handshake.
A small step on the road to reconciliation
maybe, but one with an impact on people’s
lives. As everyone noted, it was a handshake
in which all shared.
I leave you
with this parting comment. People in your
host country and visiting Canadians abroad
probably think that you as ambassador or
high commissioner can walk on water. The
truth is you probably can. But the real
job is to build the lake, stock it with
fish, and help to set up a marketing coop
to everyone’s benefit. In the end,
ownership belongs to the people, and they
are convinced you can walk on water. Thank
you.
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