NEWS RELEASES

June 8, 2001 (9:15 a.m. EDT) No. 78

MINISTERS CONGRATULATE 2001 FOREIGN SERVICE

AWARD WINNERS

John Manley, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pierre Pettigrew, Minister for International Trade, and Elinor Caplan, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today congratulated the four winners of the 2001 awards of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers.

David Angell, Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, New York, received an award for his exceptional performance since joining the Department, including his role in developing the Irish Peace Process. He is being honoured particularly for his outstanding contribution to the effective implementation of the Angola Sanctions initiative, which is recognized as having changed the lives of the Angolan people and contributed substantially to placing the conflict diamonds issue on the international agenda and creating a model for sanctions monitoring and management. His efforts have helped Canada make a lasting impact on the work and authority of the UN Security Council.

Douglas Challborn, Canadian Embassy, Lima, Peru, received an award for his significant role in Canada's efforts to strengthen democracy in Peru over the past year. He worked tirelessly to promote Canada/Organization of American States (OAS) efforts to draw together and broker consensus among key Peruvian political players and civil society representatives, to manage seven OAS High-Level Missions, and to carry out the myriad tasks required for the national dialogue process to succeed in a complex and crisis-laden environment. He is recognized for his skilful mediation, his perceptive analysis and the courageous role he played in assuring the success of Canada's policy objectives and a peaceful democratic solution for Peru.

Isabelle Roy, Canadian Embassy, Paris, France, received an award for her exceptional contribution over the past four years to promoting Canadian interests in the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Her exemplary role in the preparations for two major summits -- Hanoi (1997) and Moncton (1999) -- the level of credibility she developed among an impressive network of professional contacts, and her dedicated involvement in numerous ministerial conferences and meetings assured their success. She exemplifies fine judgment, acute analysis, and outstanding personal and professional commitment in promoting and advancing Canada's interests within the institutions of la Francophonie and with the representatives of its other 50 member countries.

Leslie Toope, Deputy Director, Training, International Region, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), received an award in recognition of her exceptional achievements as manager of the training section of the International Region in CIC. Her dedication has helped make training integral to achieving the Department's objectives and has facilitated the implementation of the Foreign Service Development Program. She has become known for her exceptional managerial style, combining client service, teamwork, innovation and creativity, all qualities which have led to the development of better officers who display the kind of knowledge and efficiency that enhances Canada's presence overseas.

The Canadian Foreign Service Officer Awards were instituted in 1990 by the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers to acknowledge exceptional achievements by career foreign service officers.

Judges for this year's awards were: John L. Baker, a private and public sector consultant now retired from the immigration foreign service; Perrin Beatty, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and former Secretary of State for External Affairs; Donald W. Campbell, Executive Vice-President, Military Simulation and Training, CAE; Mary Lou Finlay, broadcast journalist and host of CBC Radio One's As It Happens; and Lieutenant-General Raymond Henault, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, Department of National Defence.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Sanjeev Chowdhury

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

(613) 995-1851

Sébastien Théberge

Office of the Minister for International Trade

(613) 992-7332

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

Derik Hodgson

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

(613) 954-1064

This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca