OTTAWA - Canadian diplomats are ducking assignment to Afghanistan because they are shortchanged on danger pay and bonuses, the auditor general said Tuesday.
Until recently, diplomats couldn't even get the government to pay for special life insurance during an Afghan assignment, even though most personal life insurance lapses in a war zone.
The audit chided Foreign Affairs for the cumbersome system it uses to settle overseas allowances and perks. Making changes requires consultation with 18 unions, Treasury Board and three other agencies.
Foreign Affairs has proposed a number of perks for Afghan postings, including a hostility bonus of five times the normal hardship pay, and a tax break similar to that given to the military in a war zone. These are still under discussion.
The auditors said Foreign Affairs also has trouble getting people to take postings in the United States because housing and schooling allowances are below what's offered in other countries.
And overseas postings in general are harder to fill because there are few compensations offered for spouses who may not be able to work abroad and have to give up salaries and put careers on hold.
Overall, the audit said Foreign Affairs is falling down badly on human resources issues.
Half of its managers will be eligible to retire in the next three years and departures already outnumber hirings, but the department has no strategic plan to deal with gaps in its workforce. It lacks complete data on vacancies and even on the number of people working in acting capacities above their normal classification.
"The department has not been planning adequately to meet these challenges,'' said Sheila Fraser, the auditor general.
"It does not have a complete picture of the people, competencies, and experience it will need in the future and it lacks basic information needed to manage its human resources.''
The auditors also said the department falls short in managing its local staff abroad.
Among the Western democracies, Canada has one of the highest ratios of local staff in its embassies and consulates. In fact, non-Canadians working for Foreign Affairs abroad actually outnumber Canadians on the department payroll.
Yet these local employees are poorly managed, the audit found.
Their files are poorly kept, some are recorded as working at the wrong mission, and others have no record of security checks or employment history.
It urged the department to tighten up management of this work force.
