Gilles Morin: RIP

Veteran trade officer, Gilles Morin, passed away earlier this month at the Longueuil Palliative Care Unit after a long bout of cancer according to his daughter, Ginette.

Diplomacy in the Digital Age

A speech by the Australian ambassador to Israel on diplomacy in the age of instant communications. What's an ambassador to do when he has lost his monopoly on information, contacts, interpretation of events?

Marilyn Feir: RIP

Marilyn, wife of our colleague Jim, passed away on sunday, May 31.

Obit here.

Craft Brewery Tour

Hi Everyone, There is still space available for this Thursday's Dominion City Brewing Co Taste & Tour. Thursday, May 28, 2015 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. #15-5510 Canotek Road The world of beer is as fascinating as the world of wine and Ottawa is home to many exciting up and coming micro-breweries. The Guild would like to introduce you to Dominion City Brewing Co. with a tour of their newly expanded brewing facilities. The event will be hosted by Scott Denyer, an Algonquin College graduate and Assistant Brewer for Dominion. Learn about hops, fermentation and brewing process. The tour will end in the tasting bar with a sample of all the beers offered by Dominion and a pint of your choosing paired with a selection of cheeses. There are only 25 spots available for this event so make sure to reserve only! Parking is available on site. Members and Guests: ($22.12+HST) $25.00 To register, please go to http://ncsgdominion-tour-taste-2015-05-28.eventbrite.com

John Starnes Memorial

A memorial service for John Starnes (February 5,1918- December 23, 2014) will be held at St. Bartholomew's Church, 125 MacKay Street, Ottawa, at 11:30 on Saturday, May 23.

Treleaven Learns a Lesson

Why did he say "You've got to keep your eye on more than the ball"?

Here's why.

Maddick-Britton 2015

Date: Monday, June 29, 2015 from 1:00 p.m.; dinner tentatively at 7:30 p.m.  

$99.00 per player; dinner only $35.00 (taxes, gratuities included)

 

Includes:   18 holes of golf (1:30 pm shot-gun tee off), power cart, competition or group play for fun, prizes – pick your team! A relaxed outing at the beautiful Carleton Golf and Yacht Club, on the Rideau River south of Manotick.

 

Activities for the day: (sponsorships support activities, with funds to Roger’s House).

 

1.  Food Drive: for the "Ottawa Food Bank"   Please bring non-perishable food items for the Ottawa Food Bank, receive 1 ticket for each item donated for a chance to win prizes.

 

2.  Closest to the Line: women & men.

 

3. Closest to the Pin: women & men.

 

4. Putting Challenge:  Hole #19 “The practice green” will host a putting challenge for some excellent prizes.  $5 for 5 putts; play as many times as you like.

 

5. 50/50 Draw: $5 for 3 tickets; $10 for 7 tickets; $20 for an arm’s length.

 

Maddick-Britton 2015 - Things to remember:

MB handicaps will be set early in June; payment before June 20 via Interac transfer or cheque to MB2015 (procedure in the end-May update/on request) to confirm participation; payment at course on 29^th possible (note risk of limited spaces); all non-competitive participants will have a fun day with challenges, free balls and no pressure.

 

We encourage a strong contingent of current and former DFATD colleagues to convene at the CG&YC in just two months to renew our 34 year-old MB tradition! Spouses are most welcome!! We are bringing a new format for broader participation and new sponsors, linked to a charity.  While at dinner you can cheer on your side in the traditional political (now with development) versus trade team competition. We will update you before the end of May to confirm activities, sponsors and charities, and to encourage early sign up; at which time we will seek details such as participation in the competition pool (& handicap) or just for fun.

 

We are counting on our retired MB dependables to reach out to still-working DFATD colleagues to encourage their participation, and we will follow up in-house in May to build participation from working personnel, including the new development staff.  We welcome suggestions of any names we should approach in the Department, or possible sponsors - please provide them to Craig Wilson at craigwilson74@yahoo.ca . Note:  If you can't attend, please let Craig know, so we remove your name from further messages until the results of the day are known.

 

 

David Stockwell                Doug Woods            Craig Wilson            Bob Mason

James Albert Holt: RIP

Jim passed away on March 10. Many of us knew him as a kind and knowledgeable ex-military pilot whose section in DFAIT -- military sales promotion -- was not made to feel completely at home. This Ottawa Citizen article tells of his battle with cancer, and with OHIP.

Article

Obit

Leon Stryker: RIP

Colleague John Tennant advises that:

we recently lost a well-known Commercial Officer who served for many years in Melbourne, Australia, and has kept close ties with those of us who served in the post - now no longer - that was farthest from Ottawa.  Leon was present when the Office of the High Commissioner in Melbourne (pre Consulate General days) was among the first to fly the Canadian maple leaf in 1965  Leon was the identity of the office.  He made and sustained lasting relationships with all the surviving alumni from Melbourne. RIP.

Impact of Canadian Diplomatic Trade Offices Abroad

C D Howe study (early 2014) on the effect of trade offices -- announcement.

Report (pdf) is here.

Overview

With the federal government having prioritized “economic diplomacy” for overseas posts, along with a major budget consolidation, it is essential that Ottawa get the process right.

This E-Brief assesses the impact of Canada’s diplomatic representation abroad on exports. It concludes that economic diplomacy boosts exports – and quite significantly – and sheds light on the questions of where, why and how.

The main policy findings are that maintaining high-level diplomatic relations, through an embassy, has of itself a larger positive impact on exports than the deepening of relations via additional posts, and that the existence of a trade agreement with a destination market has a significant positive influence on Canadian exports to that market. The results suggest that there is a definite importance in the “G2G” (government-to-government) relationship as distinct from the role of government in providing “B2B” (business-to-business) trade facilitation.

David Laughton: RIP

David LAUGHTON Obituary

It is with sadness that we advise of the passing of David Benson Laughton on Monday, March 9, 2015. His family wishes to thank the staff and friends at the Rockcliffe Residence, Ottawa for their kindness, loving care and friendship over the past many years. Special thanks to Drs. Leclair, Mai, Thompson for their nurture and support. 

Dave is survived by his daughter Dionne Caldwell (Bill Welsh) of Ottawa, Ontario, his son Bruce Laughton (Sally) of Los Angeles, 5 grandchildren (Samantha, Chantal, Amanda, James and David) and 7 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife of over 60 years, Dorothy (Dee, nee Pearson) whom he met in London, England while with the Canadian Army during WWII. Dave continued to serve his country joining the Department of Trade & Commerce in 1949 following graduating from the University of British Columbia. His foreign postings included; Venezuela, Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, Seattle WA, Washington, D.C., and Columbia. Dave retired as Ambassador to Columbia & Ecuador, thereafter residing in Vancouver for several years before moving to Ottawa in 2007. David enjoyed a good game of bridge and cribbage as well as getting outdoors whenever he could. He particularly loved fly fishing, regardless of the results. Dave will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. A Celebration of Life dedication will be planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer Society of Ontario would be appreciated. Condolences/Tributes/Donations:www.hpmcgarry.ca

Job with CUSO

For anyone so inclined, a temporary job in Ottawa, described here.

David Shearer: RIP

David William SHEARER

Obituary SHEARER, David William October 22, 1944 – February 19, 2015 David died peacefully at Niagara-on-the-Lake Hospital, Thursday, February 19, 2015. He is survived by his best friend and loving wife Christina (Chris) Walker, his beloved daughter Kristina (Tina) Sheldon, his sisters Cathy Schipilow (Bill) and Jean Emerson (the late John), his aunt Marg McGee, his stepfather Ron Read and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He will be greatly missed by his sisters-in-law Mary Williams (Frank) and Judith Shuell (Tom), brother-in- law Paul Walker Jr. (Beverley), the Read and Blackburn families and his many wonderful friends. David was predeceased by his parents Douglas Shearer and Phyllis Shearer Read and his sister Wendy McNamara (Michael). Dave grew up in Ottawa and spent 31 years with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He was posted to various locations - Philadelphia, Los Angeles, London, England, Kingston, Jamaica, Detroit, Ottawa, and New York, making many life-long friends along the way. In 1999 David and Chris married, and he retired. They left New York in 2002 and eventually settled in Niagara-on-the-Lake. David loved this community and he soon became very involved, serving as a board member on the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club and the Niagara-on-the-Lake Hospital Foundation and taking great pleasure in helping with the annual Christmas Parade. He was also part of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Cabinet, raising funds for the new St. Catharines Hospital. In 2007 he started a whole new career in real estate with Royal Lepage, and was proud to receive the Masters Sales award for 2013 and 2014. Dave was fun, thoughtful, charming, intelligent, rarely at a loss for words, and above all a true gentleman who will be sorely missed by family, friends and his 3 pussycats. David said so many times that he was lucky and thankful for their many caring friends. The family offers a special thank you to Dr. Janice Giesbrecht and her staff, the nurses at the Walker Cancer Centre and to Dr. Tim Bastedo and Dr. Andrew Smith from the Niagara-on- the-Lake Family Health Team. As David wished, there will be no funeral service, but a gathering of family and friends will be held at a later date. Donations in David's memory to Music Niagara, c/o Chris Blake would be appreciated. Memories, photos and condolences may be shared at www.morganfuneral.com. Published in The Ottawa Citizen on Feb. 23, 2015

Gerry Hughes: RIP

Readers will be saddened to learn of the death this week of Gerry Hughes, former ambassador In Ankara and high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur.  An obituary notice is below.

Les membres de l"ACMAR apprendront avec tristesse le décès cette semaine de Gerry Hughes, ancien ambassadeur à Ankara et haut-commissaire à Kuala Lumpur.   L'avis de décès se trouve en bas.

HUGHES, Gerald Francis George
March 1, 1919 - February 3, 2015
Passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 3, 2015, at the Perley & Rideau Veterans' Health Centre in Ottawa. He is greatly missed by Mary (née Wade), his loving wife of 73 years, his three sons, Michael, (Marianne), Christopher (Sharon) and Timothy (Julie), his grandchildren, Claire, Veronica and Dawson, his surviving sister, Lois (Lorne), and many nieces and nephews. Gerry was born in Sayabec, Quebec, attended high school in Campbellton, N.B., and the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton as a Beaverbrook scholar. After completing his degree in Electrical Engineering he joined Canadian General Electric briefly in Toronto, and then joined in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1941. He enrolled in a joint British/Canadian project to degauss (de-magnetize) allied minesweepers in order to protect them against enemy magnetic mines, and crossed the Atlantic numerous times on destroyers to confer with his British counterparts. While on leave in 1941 he met the love of his life on board a CN train from Montreal to Ottawa and they were married on February 28, 1942. Gerry was de-mobbed from the navy in 1945 as Lieutenant Commander and immediately joined Canada's Foreign Service (Trade Commissioner Service) in which he had a long and distinguished career until his retirement in 1983. Beginning in 1946 he served in Scotland, Turkey, Lebanon and Sweden as Trade Commissioner. He served as Minister Commercial in London and Rome and as Ambassador in Ankara and High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One of his memorable adventures in Istanbul in 1950 was to swim across the Hellespont, as Leander did in mythological times to be with his beloved Hero. In all of those postings Gerry delighted in exploring the cultural treasures these marvelous countries had to offer. In 1964, he was asked to establish and head up the International Trade Centre at Expo '67 in Montreal, the opportunity of a lifetime. Throughout his career Gerry was not inclined to self-promotion, and preferred to arrive at the right course of action with discretion and modesty. His most cherished place was the family cottage on the Gatineau River, acquired shortly after the War, where he delighted in making breakfasts and barbeques for his family and friends, while developing the cottage and maintaining the boats, canoes and outboard motors. He also cherished his participation in the White Pine Fishing Club in the Gatineau hills where he worked tirelessly to help maintain the serene beauty of this remote property. We were very blessed and lucky to have him and he will be greatly missed. Gerry's funeral will be held privately, but the family will be arranging a memorial gathering to celebrate his life in the early summer. In lieu of flowers, Gerry would have appreciated that any donations be made to the Perley & Rideau Veterans' Health Centre in Ottawa, where he was cared for during his last year with love and respect, endearing himself to many of the wonderful staff.


Condolences/tributes/donations: www.hpmcgarry.ca 613-233-1143

Climate Change Predictions

Bizarro stuff, from the experts.

http://climatechangepredictions.org/

The Hearing

At the hearing, there were acute questions and ludicrous ones, genuine concern and disingenuous grandstanding, florid preening and runaway egos, which is to say that many politicians were crowded into one room. There was verbiage so oblique it barely qualified as English, which is to say that government officials testified. Front and center was the head of the Secret Service, Julia Pierson, who behaved in the manner of so many beleaguered bureaucrats before her. She pledged reviews, reports, inquiries and assessments — a brimming thesaurus of self-examination — and tried to run out the clock.

- re an enquiry into how a nutter got into the White House

Elections Canada Employment Opportunity

22 janvier, 2015

Le message suivant est diffusé par l'Association nationale des retraités fédéraux parce qu'il pourrait intéresser nos membres des sections d’Ottawa et de l’Outaouais. Nous vous l'envoyons au nom d'Élections Canada. Comme dans le passé, Élections Canada a communiqué avec l'Association nationale des retraités fédéraux. L'organisme recherche des agents de renseignements bilingues à temps partiel qui travailleront avant et pendant les périodes d'élections générales, de référendums ou d'élections partielles dans la région d’Ottawa-Gatineau. La date limite pour poser une candidature est le 30 janvier 2015. Le message ci-dessous ne reflète pas nécessairement les opinions de l'Association. Le Centre de renseignements d’Élections Canada est à la recherche d’agents d’information bilingues qui seraient employés à titre occasionnel lors de la préparation et de la tenue d’une élection générale, d’un référendum ou d’une élection partielle. Vous trouverez ci-dessous des réponses aux questions les plus fréquentes. QUI NOUS SOMMES Élections Canada est l’organisme indépendant et non partisan chargé de la conduite des élections et les référendums fédéraux. Dans le cadre de notre mandat on doit être prêt à conduire à tout moment une élection ou un référendum fédéral. DATE D’ENTRÉE EN FONCTION Même si nous devons être prêts en tout temps, il reste qu’il est très difficile de prédire à quel moment une élection générale sera déclenchée. Au cours de l’année, nous entretenons donc divers états ou niveaux de préparation définis par un comité en fonction du contexte politique du moment, ce qui permet au Centre de renseignements de se préparer adéquatement. DESCRIPTION DU TRAVAIL Le Centre de renseignements et ses partenaires ont répondu à plus de 180 000 appels téléphoniques pendant la 41e élection générale en 2011. À titre d’agent d’information, vous allez travailler dans un centre de contact où le rythme des activités est rapide, pour répondre  aux courriels et appels.  Vous devrez principalement transmettre de l’information de façon neutre et non partisane au grand public et à diverses entités politiques comme des candidats, des partis politiques ou des associations de circonscription. Pendant une élection générale, nous sommes ouverts du lundi au dimanche, de 7 h à 24 h (heure de l’Est). Des quarts de travail seront requis. La capacité de travailler des heures supplémentaire à court préavis serait aussi requise. TAUX DE RÉMUNÉRATION Le poste d’agent de renseignements est classifié au niveau PM-01; le taux de rémunération actuel est de 48 796 $ par année. PENSION Si vous avez des questions liées à l’emploi ou aux répercussions possibles sur votre pension, consultez le site suivant : http://pensionetavantages-pensionandbenefits.gc.caou composez le 1-800-561-7930. CE QUE NOUS CHERCHONS Pour le moment, nous cherchons principalement des agents de renseignements bilingues. Toutefois, il est possible que nous ayons besoin d’agents unilingues. Nos agents de renseignements ont beaucoup d’entregent et sont en mesure de communiquer efficacement tant oralement que par écrit. Ils font preuve de jugement, de tact et de discrétion et sont en mesure de préciser et d’interpréter correctement les questions des clients. Ils sont capables de travailler sous pression et de traiter avec des clients difficiles. Ils ont une connaissance générale du processus électoral, du mandat d’Élections Canada et de la législation pertinente. Enfin, nos agents de renseignements doivent savoir se servir d’un ordinateur et être à l’aise avec l’environnement Windows, la recherche sur Internet et le courriel. Une formation complète sera offerte. Les candidats doivent posséder une autorisation de sécurité de niveau « Fiabilité approfondie ». EMPLACEMENT DES BUREAUX Élections Canada se situe au 30, rue Victoria, Gatineau, Québec K1A 0M6. L’endroit est accessible par le transport en commun. PROCESSUS DE DEMANDE Les personnes intéressées doivent faire parvenir leur curriculum vitae ainsi qu’une brève lettre de présentation soulignant leur expérience pertinente à ENQINFO@elections.ca par le 30 janvier 2015. Des références peuvent être demandées. Nous remercions d'avance ceux et celles qui auront soumis une demande d'emploi, mais nous ne contacterons que les personnes choisies pour la prochaine étape de sélection.