"Ten years ago, I was a lawyer in Toronto negotiating a 6 figure salary with a national law firm when I was selected for the Foreign Service. Despite beating 99% of all applicants for this job, my salary was about half of what a law student made at my old firm. Ten years later, I am still earning less than my legal assistant in Toronto used to make.
I have represented Canada in combat zones in the Middle East, selected refugees from prisons and UN camps, watched my neighbour's house blown up by a car bomb, watched diplomat colleagues work through aerial bombardments while their children hid in the basement, and been held at gunpoint by soldiers who couldn't care less if I was a diplomat or a plumber. I have travelled in armored vehicles due to fear of IEDs on the roads and worn bullet proof gear for protection from snipers and suicide bombers.
Through all my postings, I worked a minimum of 12 hour days, including most weekends, rushed to airports in the middle of the night to intercept human smugglers and other threats to Canada, lived with frequent electric blackouts and no access to decent medical facilities, and have suffered through lethal infections in India and was exposed to TB in Korea. I could never dress the way I wanted or express opinions openly even while being abused and assaulted by irate visa applicants or by locals on the street. These restrictions continued even after work and while I was in my residence. And all this while earning the earth-shattering salary of $65,000 per year.
I saw REAL luxury enjoyed by PetroCanada representatives in the Middle East who lived in mansions and enjoyed incredible privileges. I did similar work in terms of negotiating international agreements and recruiting workers to develop Canada's Oil Sands but at a fraction of their salaries and benefits. I have never been jealous of them for even a second because I love my job. But when I'm accused of all kinds of rubbish like being a privileged snob by people who know NOTHING about my work or conditions, it upsets me. Before you levy such accusations, at least check if your perceptions are accurate.
I CAN walk away and join a Bay Street firm and immediately start earning double my current salary and with massive perks. I CAN start playing the system to screw over the average Joe just to make myself richer, like I used to do before I joined the FS. But if you want quality representation of Canada abroad by skilled and dedicated professionals to protect Canada's security and interests, then at least allow us to earn the SAME as our bureacratic equivalents in Canada! It's not like we're asking for more than the people who DID NOT qualify for the Foreign Service. We're just asking to not be paid LESS than bureaucrats who do the SAME work but don't risk their health, families and lives to represent you and protect your interests."
