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By Ulric Shannon
CIPS Policy Report, August 2022

• Foreign ministries face a risk of marginalization as the international agenda is increasingly dominated by global issues such as climate change, global public health, migration, and cyber-security, as opposed to traditional matters of state-to-state relations. Domestic ministries with expertise on these issues are becoming more active internationally and developing their own networks, challenging foreign ministries to demonstrate what specific value-added they bring to the table.
• In parallel, the growing pressure on the rules-based international order – of which Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is but the most recent and violent example – as well as the more transactional approach to international relations occasioned by the rising tide of populism in the West, have weakened the capacity for collective action and multilateral diplomacy. This suggests an increasingly competitive global environment (even among allies) where states will require the specialized knowledge and networks to pursue their interests unilaterally.
• Faced with this reality, foreign ministries are re-examining the talent that they will need to be high-performing organizations in the 21st century. This has prompted several of the foreign ministries examined in this study to question whether the traditional ‘generalist’ model of the diplomat is adequate to current and future needs.
• Although most foreign ministries intend to preserve a ‘generalist’ core of rotational personnel, the research reveals a strong trend toward encouraging the development of deeper subject-matter expertise and creating specialist cadres within foreign ministries, whether on specific regions or on themes such as multilateral relations. The diplomatic services examined in this report either already prioritize excellence in foreign-language proficiency, or are taking steps in that direction.
• In sticking to a ‘generalist’ model that has deep roots in its founding ethos, Canada’s foreign ministry risks becoming an outlier among its peers and competitors. Although there are certainly pockets of expertise within the Canadian foreign service, the organizational culture of Global Affairs Canada often discourages specialization by treating it as incompatible with advancement into senior leadership. This phenomenon is not unique to Global Affairs and reflects a broader trend toward ‘managerialism’ within the Canadian Public Service in the last two decades which has devalued the role of subject-matter knowledge as an attribute of leadership.
• The February 2022 announcement by Canada’s Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of a year-long study into whether the Canadian foreign service is ‘fit for purpose’, and the May 2022 announcement by Foreign Minister Joly of a parallel Future of Diplomacy review, represent opportunities to reconsider current assumptions and approaches to the diplomatic talent Canada needs.
• If it expects to remain competitive with both its peers and its adversaries in the fight for global influence, Canada will need a foreign service that is credible. This means being represented around the world by people who can speak authoritatively by exhibiting ‘causal literacy’ on a range of global issues, as well as deep subject-matter knowledge of their assigned region or thematic focus.
• Canada’s foreign service is struggling to integrate expertise because it lacks a clear talent-management doctrine and has not sufficiently emphasized diplomatic competencies and knowledge in the promotion of senior managers. It should examine the ‘career anchors’ model developed in the UK (and under development in Australia), as well as the ‘Core Precepts’ used by the US Foreign Service to guide career development and promotion, as best practices that could be adapted to Canadian needs.
• Like other foreign ministries, the Canadian foreign service would benefit from more frequent exchange opportunities into other ministries, multilateral organizations, thinktanks and academia, and the private sector. This will require dispelling the perception of a ‘career penalty’ around assignments outside the organization by adapting performance and talent management tools that currently only assess service within Global Affairs.
• Similarly, the permeability of talent into the organization – through mid-career lateral entry into the diplomatic service – is a means that other foreign ministries have used successfully to address specific skills shortages. While Canadian foreign service officers are understandably leery of the implications of lateral entry on their already narrow opportunities for promotion, Global Affairs should consider this approach on a limited basis to address specific talent deficits. With a view to the long term, however, it should also take steps to incentivise foreign service officers to acquire the necessary expert skills and specialize in those areas where knowledge is at a premium.
• To its credit, Global Affairs has identified China as one priority area where more subject-matter expertise and career concentration is needed, both in the foreign ministry and more broadly across government, and where, by implication, a ‘generalist’ model is no longer adequate. This is also true of other areas, such as trade policy, where the value of specialists is readily acknowledged. As it seeks to deliver a global foreign policy in an increasingly complex world, Global Affairs should aspire to build at least a small cadre of experts on most, if not all, regions and themes, including in anticipation of crises and opportunities not yet visible.
• Given its unique advantage of having one of the world’s most diverse populations as its  talent pool, there is no excuse for the Canadian foreign service not to grow into one of the world’s most interculturally savvy, knowledgeable, and networked diplomatic services. This level of ambition is a choice, and it will not happen by mere dint of immutable demographics. Rather, it will require purposeful human resource policies and workforce strategic planning, and, more importantly, a shift in corporate culture that acknowledges the unique competencies needed in the diplomatic profession.

Ulric Shannon is a career diplomat in the Canadian foreign service who has specialized in stabilization and conflict issues, mainly in the Arab and Muslim worlds. He served as Canada’s ambassador to Iraq from 2019 to 2021, overseeing one of Canada’s largest development, humanitarian, stabilization, and military assistance programs anywhere in the world. His previous postings have included Egypt, the Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, and Turkey, where he served as Canada’s Consul General in Istanbul from 2016 to 2019. As one of the most fluent Arabic speakers in the Canadian diplomatic service, Ulric has been noted for his pioneering efforts in the area of public diplomacy. His ability to engage local audiences in Arabic via traditional and social media raised Canada’s profile significantly in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, earning him mention as an “influential foreign policy voice and thinker” in Hill Times’ list of ‘Top 50 Influencing Canadian Foreign Policy” for 2021. He is currently on leave from the Government of Canada and living in Jerusalem, where he is serving as the National Democratic Institute’s Senior Regional Director for West Bank and Gaza. This report does not reflect the views of Global Affairs Canada.

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