Cutting the number of government commerce officers across Canada could mean a more regional and specialized approach to trade promotion and investment, say analysts, but they also argue it is unlikely the government will downsize teams working on big trade deal talks.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, a union representing 57,000 government employees, announced on April 11 that 53 commerce officer positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade would be affected, and that notices were handed out to employees.
Union president Gary Corbett said the government informed him that 35 of these positions would be eliminated.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Caitlin Workman confirmed that these positions would be cut, but she said only 48 individuals had received notices that their positions would be affected.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada also announced 21 of its members in DFAIT received notices, but the type of positions affected are less clear.
Ontario was the most affected, Mr. Corbett said, with 15 notices being handed out. In the Atlantic region and Quebec, 13 and 10 notices were handed out in each, respectively, while eight were handed out in Winnipeg, five in Edmonton, two in British Columbia and the Yukon.
Canadian companies will continue to have access to the services of the Trade Commissioner Service in Canada and abroad, wrote Ms. Workman in an email to Embassy.
The government is committed to helping Canadian companies succeed on the world stage, she added.
"With one in five Canadian jobs generated by trade, the government of Canada understands that expanding our commercial links with high-growth economies around the world is crucial to driving jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity here at home," she wrote.
But Paul Frazer, a former Canadian diplomat who is a Washington-based specialist in government relations, said such cuts could mean that Canadian businesses interested in exports or imports would be dealing with a smaller local office or directly with Ottawa.
"The people remaining in the regions in the positions that were not affected will be expected to be doing more of that work, or where the region may be so reduced, it means people in Ottawa will take up some of that work to the best of their ability," he said.
Mr. Frazer noted that those remaining employees will have to think about how they can deliver services in an equally effective way, and managers will have to prioritize.
He said while face-to-face conversations are helpful, there are other ways and tools, like the Internet, that businesses can use to communicate and obtain information.
Meanwhile, Jayson Myers, president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said he feels the government will take a more regional approach, reducing its presence in some cities and focusing on around five key centres including Montreal, Toronto and Halifax.
The government has over 15 trade offices across Canada. Along the east coast itself, there are offices in Halifax, Charlottetown, St. John's and Moncton.
Changes could include altering the links between the government's Trade Commissioner Service and the business community, said Mr. Myers. The department has already been working on partnering its employees with business associations and having them work in the same locations, and this is something that could increase, he said.
A commerce officer's job
John Curtis, former chief economist at DFAIT, said commerce officers—which include trade commissioners—are often "generalists," and that there is a growing need for specialization within the department.
These officers usually explore general inward and outward investment in the regions they are in, he said. For example, if a company in Winnipeg wanted to explore foreign markets, a commerce officer could help with that. Or, if a delegation were visiting from China, the commerce officer would assist in connecting them to businesspeople in Canada.
But general skills are needed more than specific skills now, he said.
"There's probably a sense that there's a bit of duplication amongst the departments and they're trying to get subject experts rather than departmental experts," Mr. Curtis said.
"If it's an agricultural area of Canada, I think the government's decision is, it'll be far better for someone who knows about agriculture...to be in place in Winnipeg. Therefore, if someone comes from China and is interested in agriculture, they go to the expert and the expert knows, rather than go to a generalist."
Mr. Curtis said it is unlikely cuts would fall on the trade negotiations side, which would likely receive a boost given the Harper government's indicated priority on expanding trade.
Canada is currently in talks with the European Union, India and Japan, among others. Officials expect the deal with the Europeans to wrap up this year, with some saying it could be completed as early as the summer.
The government could take people doing trade promotion and have them work on negotiations instead, said Phil Rourke, executive director of the Centre for Trade Policy and Law at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa.
"You would probably do a reassessment of the negotiations, where they're at and say, 'which ones can we close, and which can we leave alone for a little while?" he said.
The commerce officer notices came during a particularly busy week for unions, many of which were announcing cuts expected to hit various government departments and agencies as the Harper government tries to balance its budget.
The government spending review is set to result in 19,200 jobs being cut from the federal public service overall—12,000 jobs would go over a three-year period, and the rest though attrition.
PIPSC workforce adjustment notices were sent out to 1,500 of its members last week, bringing the total for this particular union to more than 2,000 since the March 29 budget. Receiving notices doesn't necessarily mean positions are being cut.
Original Article
Source: embassy mag
Author: Sneh Duggal
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, a union representing 57,000 government employees, announced on April 11 that 53 commerce officer positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade would be affected, and that notices were handed out to employees.
Union president Gary Corbett said the government informed him that 35 of these positions would be eliminated.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Caitlin Workman confirmed that these positions would be cut, but she said only 48 individuals had received notices that their positions would be affected.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada also announced 21 of its members in DFAIT received notices, but the type of positions affected are less clear.
Ontario was the most affected, Mr. Corbett said, with 15 notices being handed out. In the Atlantic region and Quebec, 13 and 10 notices were handed out in each, respectively, while eight were handed out in Winnipeg, five in Edmonton, two in British Columbia and the Yukon.
Canadian companies will continue to have access to the services of the Trade Commissioner Service in Canada and abroad, wrote Ms. Workman in an email to Embassy.
The government is committed to helping Canadian companies succeed on the world stage, she added.
"With one in five Canadian jobs generated by trade, the government of Canada understands that expanding our commercial links with high-growth economies around the world is crucial to driving jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity here at home," she wrote.
But Paul Frazer, a former Canadian diplomat who is a Washington-based specialist in government relations, said such cuts could mean that Canadian businesses interested in exports or imports would be dealing with a smaller local office or directly with Ottawa.
"The people remaining in the regions in the positions that were not affected will be expected to be doing more of that work, or where the region may be so reduced, it means people in Ottawa will take up some of that work to the best of their ability," he said.
Mr. Frazer noted that those remaining employees will have to think about how they can deliver services in an equally effective way, and managers will have to prioritize.
He said while face-to-face conversations are helpful, there are other ways and tools, like the Internet, that businesses can use to communicate and obtain information.
Meanwhile, Jayson Myers, president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said he feels the government will take a more regional approach, reducing its presence in some cities and focusing on around five key centres including Montreal, Toronto and Halifax.
The government has over 15 trade offices across Canada. Along the east coast itself, there are offices in Halifax, Charlottetown, St. John's and Moncton.
Changes could include altering the links between the government's Trade Commissioner Service and the business community, said Mr. Myers. The department has already been working on partnering its employees with business associations and having them work in the same locations, and this is something that could increase, he said.
A commerce officer's job
John Curtis, former chief economist at DFAIT, said commerce officers—which include trade commissioners—are often "generalists," and that there is a growing need for specialization within the department.
These officers usually explore general inward and outward investment in the regions they are in, he said. For example, if a company in Winnipeg wanted to explore foreign markets, a commerce officer could help with that. Or, if a delegation were visiting from China, the commerce officer would assist in connecting them to businesspeople in Canada.
But general skills are needed more than specific skills now, he said.
"There's probably a sense that there's a bit of duplication amongst the departments and they're trying to get subject experts rather than departmental experts," Mr. Curtis said.
"If it's an agricultural area of Canada, I think the government's decision is, it'll be far better for someone who knows about agriculture...to be in place in Winnipeg. Therefore, if someone comes from China and is interested in agriculture, they go to the expert and the expert knows, rather than go to a generalist."
Mr. Curtis said it is unlikely cuts would fall on the trade negotiations side, which would likely receive a boost given the Harper government's indicated priority on expanding trade.
Canada is currently in talks with the European Union, India and Japan, among others. Officials expect the deal with the Europeans to wrap up this year, with some saying it could be completed as early as the summer.
The government could take people doing trade promotion and have them work on negotiations instead, said Phil Rourke, executive director of the Centre for Trade Policy and Law at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa.
"You would probably do a reassessment of the negotiations, where they're at and say, 'which ones can we close, and which can we leave alone for a little while?" he said.
The commerce officer notices came during a particularly busy week for unions, many of which were announcing cuts expected to hit various government departments and agencies as the Harper government tries to balance its budget.
The government spending review is set to result in 19,200 jobs being cut from the federal public service overall—12,000 jobs would go over a three-year period, and the rest though attrition.
PIPSC workforce adjustment notices were sent out to 1,500 of its members last week, bringing the total for this particular union to more than 2,000 since the March 29 budget. Receiving notices doesn't necessarily mean positions are being cut.
Original Article
Source: embassy mag
Author: Sneh Duggal
No comments:
Post a Comment