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Foreign Service Community Association Bulletin
March 2005
Volume 32 # 2
Art Exhibition 2005 more...
Dandelions Bloom in the Spring. Tra la!
Jinny Slyfield
The FSCA'S Annual General Meeting June 14th more...
Spousal Employment Report
Par Bez Babakhani et David Paget
New energies have been applied by FSCA in recent months to make progress on spousal employment, and there are some encouraging developments at the level of senior management! more...
A word from the President
Vivek Sharma
The winter is finally over and warm days are ahead to enjoy an Ottawa summer in its surroundings. This year's posting orders are for the most part announced and many of the new employees who joined in 2003 are ready to set off on first journeys as Canadian Foreign Service representatives with their families. more...
Did You Know?
You can access the Panorama messages from outside! Panorama messages informs FAC and ITCan employees of conferences, courses, FSD's changes, internal changes etc. It sometimes brings you to an other page in the Intranet that you can not access but you can get some information. Here is the address to access Panorama from outside FAC and ITCan: http://lbp.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/panorama/menu-e.asp
The FSCA raised 1575.00$ for research for Canadian Cancer society
We would like to congratulate Heidi Hallman and her husband who organised so well the fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society. Thanks to them and to their volunteers they have sold for $1,575.00 of daffodils on March 31st and April 1st. Thanks again and Congratulation!
Moving? Going at mission?
Please send us your change of address and your new e-mail address so we can keep in contact. Write to us by e‑mail: fsca.acse@international.gc.ca, by mail FSCA Membership Committee, 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa Ontario, K1A 0G2 or phone (613) 944-5729. Thanks for your cooperation.
The Canadian Agora's Progress
By Anne Bourgault
translated by Tania Hull
As you know, the Foreign Service Canadian Association (FSCA) and the Services Centre (SERV) created the Canadian Agora in 2003 in order to develop a data bank for spouses of the rotational federal government employees. The job bank is being used more and more and several spouses have obtained jobs through the Canadian Agora. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. more...
EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT - 2005
The Education Committee acts as a resource for spouses and children as they pursue their education and advance their careers in changing and often challenging circumstances. The goal of the Education Committee is to provide education support for families on postings as well as those in Ottawa. more...
Compartments by Tova Clark
This is the record of the author’s journey from her birth in Germany to life in Shanghai, Israel, and beyond. Each place of residence represents a different compartment in a tumultuous life. As the wife of a Canadian diplomat, Tova Clark travelled from Ottawa more...
Foreign Service Alumni Group
Annual Report - 2004-2005
Our five bi-monthly meetings once again covered a wide variety of topics, addressed by yet another interesting group of speakers. Except for the final bus trip in May, our meetings were held on alternating Tuesdays, more...
The Future of the Canadian Foreign Service: a provocative lecture...
By Arthur Menzies
John Hadwen spoke at the home of Margaret and Gary Harman on “The Future of the Canadian Foreign Service”. He began with criticizing the December 2003 decision of Prime Minister Martin to separate the Trade and Foreign Affairs departments which had been joined by the Trudeau Government 22 years ago. more...
You, your child, or your teenager has something to say?
A Poem? A short story? An article? A point of view? an Announcement? Write to us, Send us your master pieces before August 15th 2005, the deadline for our next Bulletin. We will publish you if we can.
THE WIND
The wind is a cat
She can hear your footsteps
Echoing against her territory . . . everywhere.
Lost and alone you stop and see two lights
- A village! –
But the lights creep closer and closer
Until they are two slim red eyes,
Searching.
Suddenly she pounces
Her painfully sharp claws digging into
Your delicate skin.
Her fur, as dark as night,
Whips against your face.
She surrounds you.
She controls you.
You are the pet, she is the master.
She taunts you with her screams,
Forever, it seems
Until you give in.
ANNA LOGIE
10 YEARS OLD
2005-2006 Memberships
Many members have sent in their renewal fees and forms, and we would like to thank them very much for the prompt responses. If you've not sent in your renewal forms, please do ASAP, our staff will have to stop processing renewal forms soon. Hurry up and join our team, we've got another year of campaigning and lobbying ahead of us!
Tsumani's victims donation
Following the natural catastrophy of December 26, 2004 in Asia, the FSCA has sent a $500.00 cheque to Oxfam Canada. It is little to help these people who are still in misery but it is what we could do. They are still recontructing their houses and their lives. If you would like to dontate:
Canadian Red Cross
Croix rouge canadienne :
1 800 418-1111 ou
www.croixrouge.ca
CARE Canada :
1 800 267-5232 ou
www.care.ca
Développement et Paix :
Development and Peace
1 888 664-3387 ou
www.devp.org
Doctors withour Borders
Medecin sans frontière
1.800.982.7903 sans frais
http://www.msf.ca/
Oxfam Canada :
1 800 466-9326 ou
www.oxfam.ca
UNICEF Canada :
1 877 955-3111 ou
www.unicef.ca
Information for Spouses
By: SERV
New post ? New car ?. . . or ship the one you have ?
For helpful and independent advice on makes and models suited to your destination, ask the people who know.
MAPSUPPORT.COM
Suppliers of: new and used vehicles to officers with FAC, ITC, CIDA, CIC, DND and Embassy fleets, at some seventy posts since 1996.
Shipped from: Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S.,
makes have included:
Audi, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep,
Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Plymouth,
Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota and Volkswagen.
Specialists in tax-free vehicles for export.
Not only are our prices competitive, we also offer an emergency
tax-free parts service, help with technical and warranty matters
and advice on tax and duty issues for certain models.
Call or write to Robert@mapsupport.com
for information on vehicle exports and for free advice on model selection.
Tel: +1-514-725-4509
The Services Centre
The Services Centre develops and applies policies that improve the employment situation for foreign service spouses and partners in Canada and abroad. As well as providing advice and guidance to spouses, assignment officers, and departmental officials, the spousal employment program offers the following services: more...