As the Directives cannot be applied without reference to the monthly schedules, departments and agencies with employees on assignment outside Canada may direct their enquiries to:. The Foreign Service Directives are designed to provide a system of allowances, benefits and conditions of employment that, in combination with salary, will enable departments and agencies to recruit, retain and deploy qualified employees in support of government programs outside Canada.
It is important that employees who are or will be serving on assignments outside Canada have access to these directives and, as well, to information as to their application and interpretation. It is particularly important that employees should be provided with a detailed briefing with respect to the specific application of those directives and related provisions and procedures which impact on their assignment outside Canada, before departing for that assignment.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade conducts pre-posting briefing programs in Ottawa for career foreign service employees and foreign assignment employees. Wherever possible and practicable, employees should be authorized to attend this program prior to posting, notwithstanding that they are not employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. To achieve the objectives of the Directives, consideration will continue to be given to situations which may arise which are not specifically dealt with in the Directives but which fall within the intent of the Directives as described in the basic principles outlined above or explained in the Introduction to a specific directive.
To ensure that terms and conditions of employment for employees serving abroad are kept up to date, the Directives are reviewed on a regular basis, normally every three years. These revised Directives also reflect the percentage increase in certain allowances and dollar amounts which was also effective April 1, It should be noted that a number of collective agreements contain clauses respecting the application of the Foreign Service Directives.
It is unlikely that there will be any conflict between the Directives and the various agreements. However, should there be areas of apparent conflict, the Foreign Service Directives will normally apply, unless the agreement expressly provides that the agreement overrides the Foreign Service Directives.
