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About the FSCA

The FSCA is a volunteer organization dedicated to the welfare of the employees, spouses and dependants of Canadian foreign service departments.

The FSCA:

  • serves as a forum for action on behalf of foreign service families
  • acts as a liaison between families of the Canadian Foreign Service and Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC), International Trade Canada (ITCan), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), and Department National Defence (DND)
  • is the only organization which represents all members of the foreign service and their families

FSCA activities include

  • Monitoring government policies with an eye to their effect on foreign service families
  • Consulting with various departments to implement changes beneficial to the foreign service community
  • Providing members with information on policies, benefits, and available services
  • Organizing a number of annual social events to bring the community together, including a Wine and Cheese Reception, a Christmas Gala and an Art Show
  • Publication of a quarterly magazine, the Bulletin

Membership in the FSCA

  • is not automatic
  • requires an annual fee of $25 and is open to foreign service employees and their families (CIC, CIDA, DND, FAC, ITCan, RCMP), employees, retired employees and their families, widows/widowers and ex-spouses.

The FSCA carries out its mandate through the work of various committees

  • Spousal Employment Committee
  • Membership Committee
  • Foreign Service Alumni Group
  • Ex-spouses Committee
  • Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual and Gay Committee
  • Education Committee
  • Life on the move

The activities of the FSCA represent the concerns of its members and vary over time to reflect their changing needs. If you decide that there is an issue which should be addressed, the FSCA can provide a forum.

The accomplishments of the FSCA are reflected in the many improvements in departmental services to families, as well as specific programs:

  • Direct Communication with Spouses
  • The Community Coordinator Program
  • The Spousal Employment Counsellor
  • An expanded Spousal Employment Policy
  • Spousal access to FAC and ITCan and CFSI courses
  • The Education Counsellor
  • Change in citizenship requirements for foreign born spouses
  • Expansion of pre-posting and re-entry workshops for spouses
  • Increased flexibility in the Foreign Service Directives that affect families on posting
  • Expanded attention to family issues in posting assignments
  • Involvement in accessing resources for families in distress
  • The Canadian Agora, the spousal employment database (www.canadianagora.gc.ca)
  • Creating channels of communication with senior management of CIC, CIDA, DND, FAC and ITCan
  • Providing input on spousal employment to new Heads of Mission letters (2005)
  • Obtaining from the Department a course helping spouses apply on jobs offered by the public service (2005)
  • The official right for spouses to make work order requests for their staff quarters abroad (2006)
  • Modification of the Code of Conduct to continue to allow spouses to work discreetly from their SQ's (2006)

The FSCA also believes that the foreign service community itself is one of the best resources for its members. Therefore, it organizes a variety of activities for members of the association, such as:

  • Annual Art Exhibition, Christmas Market, Enterprise Fair, Garage Sale...
  • Social events
  • Outreach to new and returning families
  • Annual post secondary bursaries for Foreign Service children

To join the FSCA, fill in the Membership form and mail it, with your cheque, to the FSCA.