Diplomats frustrated at Cannon's closed door

[nicky10013]

Rather than trying to rationalize away the fact over the UAE and UN failures of this government by saying that we did things on principle, perhaps this article pin points the real reason for failure. We have a foreign minister who thinks so highly of himself that he'll only deal with foreign ministers or above. Clearly not realizing how his job actually works, maybe he actually believes Canada was rebuffed for principle or because of Michael Ignatieff. That's the scary part.

As Embassy found out, there is a growing sense of frustration within the diplomatic community over the accessibility issue. Although a sensitive one, the topic has become an often-cited annoyance among diplomats.

"Throughout my entire career as a diplomat, this is the first time I am having so much difficulty scheduling an appointment with the [foreign] minister," said one Latin American ambassador, who preferred to remain unnamed.

The envoy, who was also posted in Washington, described the situation in Canada as "completely unusual." Even after a request for a meeting is made, officials in Mr. Cannon's office take about three to four months to come back with an answer, he said.

In the United States, that waiting period is about one to two weeks when requesting a meeting with the secretary of state, he said, while the under-secretary of state is usually available "immediately."

"It's hard to explain back to your officials in your country that you don't have access to the minister in Canada," the Latin American ambassador said. "They cannot understand why it's like that," adding that his country has a tradition for easy access to ministers. The ambassador described diplomacy as reciprocal. He said it is not good for Canada to be so indifferent.

http://embassymag.ca/page/view/diplomats-11-03-2010