Program boosts Aboriginal representation of Canada abroad

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Around the world, Canada is represented by its Foreign Service officers. In 1991, as part of its five-year employment equity strategy, the federal Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade implemented a range of initiatives to improve representation of and career opportunities for Aboriginal people who, in 1989, made up only 0.7 per cent of the department's overall staffing.

The target figure of the Aboriginal employment strategy for Foreign Affairs was that seven per cent of recruits should be of Aboriginal origin, when numbers were averaged over a two-year period. To help achieve that goal, the department received permission from the Public Service Commission, which defines federal government hiring practices for all government agencies, to recruit three or four Aboriginal candidates to entry-level Foreign Service officer positions each year over the coming years.

The overall program is complemented by summer internship program, into which Foreign Affairs hires university students.

"We will have seven Aboriginal interns in 1996," said Jennifer Sloan, departmental spokesperson. "That meets our full complement, and we're very pleased about that." The department hopes that students will apply to join Foreign Affairs full-time following their summertime placement.

The specific job category targeted by the internship program is Foreign Service officers. These are the people who agree to be posted overseas, or to any location in Canada, on a rotational basis as determined by the department. This is the public face of Canada overseas and, in the department's own words, the occupational group showed "significant under-representation of Aboriginal people."

Foreign Affairs currently employs approximately 3,800 Canadian employees, not including staff people hired locally. Of that total, about one-third are non-rotational employees, who are permanently assigned to headquarters. The other two-thirds are rotational employees and must be prepared to relocate to anywhere in the world. It is this group which is the target of the internship program. Overall, Aboriginal employees represent only about 1.3 per cent of the department's work force, almost double the number in 1989.

The key elements of the internship program are its outreach and selection components. Foreign Affairs has actively tried to reach potential candidates in the Aboriginal community, and to make potential candidates consider the foreign service as a primary career placement choice. The program has been promoted to more than 100 different organizations and bands, and regional briefings have been arranged to encourage Aboriginal candidates to apply for the program. Targeted outreach materials have been developed that will answer the most common questions posted by the Aboriginal people who Foreign Affairs hopes will apply to the program.

"The program has a wide distribution," Sloan said. "It has been done by geographical area, and we've just completed recruitment in Alberta and the Northwest Territories."

The selection process has also been tailored somewhat to suit Aboriginal candidates. All candidates for a place in the federal government must take the entry-level selection test administered by the Public Service Commission. This is a test of the candidates' written communication skill, and is followed by an interview. Wherever possible, the managers in the department who make up the interview panel are supplemented by Aboriginal representatives.

Once hired, all new recruits to Foreign Affairs undergo formal classroom and on-the-job training in Ottawa, from which they move on to a career in one of three areas: management and consular affairs, the trade commissioner service, or political and economic affairs. There is specialized training of one to four years, depending on the career path to be followed, and then a first international posting of two to four years' duration. Prior to or during this first assignment, specific training, such a language training if required, will take place.

The department has also initiated a number of Aboriginal employment strategies, in addition to the internship program. Foreign Affairs has initiated a program which will improve communication with Aboriginal employees, promote a supportive work environment and foster awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal values and culture. The department developmental assignment program and its career assignment program have been retooled to provide Aboriginal employees with training and career development opportunities.

Foreign Affairs has, in the past, had difficulty attracting Aboriginal candidates to its staff. Since the internship program's inception nearly five years ago, more than 50 candidates have been interviewed and seven have been accepted into the program for training as Foreign Service officers. Two recruits have finished their training.

Foreign Affairs provides Canadians with an unparalleled opportunity to travel the world. Students interested in internship opportunities, or those who have a university background and may be interested in a permanent position in the department, should call: (613) 992-2221, fax: (613) 995-9335 or write: The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Attn: Client Services Centre (SERV) Lester B. Pearson Bldg., 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ont. K1A 0G2