(Ottawa) The union representing Global Affairs Canada staff says diplomatic service is laying off dozens of its most qualified diplomats while asking other diplomats reassigned from one continent to another to wait months to retrieve their personal effects.
Published yesterday at 14:21
Dylan Robertson La Presse Canadienne
These cuts come as Global Affairs implements its plans to meet budgetary austerity requirements imposed last year by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The downsizing targets set by the ministry have sparked outrage among former diplomats and international relations experts who argue that these cuts are at odds with Ottawa’s efforts to gain influence in this period of geopolitical crisis.
“The anticipated staff reduction rate will hit foreign missions hard,” warned Pam Isfeld, career diplomat and president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers.
“I simply think that things have not been fully thought through,”
The latest Global Affairs ministerial plan, released on March 13, foresees the ministry cutting 1,240 full-time equivalents by March 2029 – a 9.4% reduction from the 13,185 full-time equivalents in March 2025.
In January, the ministry sent notices to 3,095 employees warning them that they might lose their jobs, adding that some could be reassigned or spared if others resign or retire.
Affaires mondiales Canada has indicated it must reduce its workforce by 12 to 13% by 2030.
Ms. Isfeld stated that these cuts target the elimination of a specialized level of officers, known as FS-04. Most employees at this level are either reassigned as managers or demoted, she clarified, but 34 positions are simply cut.
In a written statement, the ministry did not contest the information regarding the 34 layoffs.
“Global Affairs Canada is realigning its foreign affairs activities to have a maximum impact in a changing geopolitical context. The ministry continues to maintain a strong and competent workforce in the diplomatic service, operating on a rotation system,” spokesperson Thida Ith wrote.
“Given that the need for FS-04 positions will be very limited in the future, FS-04 assignments will be filled on a temporary basis by using the ministry’s current employees as needed.”
Ms. Ith indicated that the ministry will continue to recruit at the lowest level and maintain a higher proportion of intermediate-level diplomats.
Ms. Isfeld explained that the FS-04 level encompasses roles with specific knowledge, such as that of a nuclear specialist assigned to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
“That’s a structural inconsistency to say that we are going to be active and engaged in this ambitious foreign policy – the legacy of the G7 presidency, Indo-Pacific issues, African issues, Ukrainian issues, climate financing, now all sorts of Arctic issues, cooperation with Nordic countries,” she said.
Expense Reduction
In its ministerial plan, Global Affairs aims to save half a billion dollars in the upcoming fiscal year, $747 million the following year, and $1.12 billion by the end of the fiscal year ending in March 2029.
The plan states that these savings will come from various sources, including efforts to refocus Canada’s diplomatic presence, streamline commercial services, and link foreign aid and security initiatives to economic growth.
The document also indicates that Global Affairs will achieve unspecified efficiency gains across all its missions, sell some real estate abroad, and modernize the infrastructure and cybersecurity measures at these missions to reduce costs related to staff protection.
Global Affairs budget cuts precede a foreign policy review to be released later this year.
This review could indicate which countries will see an increase in diplomatic posts, which missions may close or merge with others, and which themes will be central to the diplomatic service’s future concerns.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated that her ministry already has the broad outlines of Canada’s new foreign policy and can use it to define its staffing priorities.
