This article from the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) states that "the Canadian foreign service is in desperate condition. If the Trudeau government hopes to achieve its foreign policy objectives, its first priority should be a wholesale reform of Global Affairs Canada that focuses on the rejuvenation of the foreign service." While noting that "GAC served the government well on trade files and consular issues during its first mandate, with strong records of achievement. Still, the consensus within the Department (among knowledgeable workers) and among many outside observers is that GAC as a whole is in desperate shape ... It’s no wonder that Canada is punching below its weight these days on international issues ...
On the program implementation side, no rejuvenation of GAC can escape the need to take another swipe at trying to get development assistance delivery right, with an emphasis on timeliness and effectiveness. No one believes that the fusion of DFAIT and CIDA has worked. It’s time to look at this issue again."
See the full article here:
https://www.cips-cepi.ca/2019/11/28/priority-one-saving-the-canadian-foreign-service/