Etiquette experts weigh in on undiplomatic spat

Fen Hampson of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs comments diplomatic protocol.

Byline: Jennifer Campbell
Publication: Ottawa Citizen (Canada)
Date: Wednesday December 16th, 2009

The Canadian diplomat who allegedly spat on a police officer and a journalist in Tanzania last week would not do very well in basic protocol training, two experts say.

“Whatever the situation or circumstance, our diplomats should not spit on anyone, figuratively or literally,’ said Fen Hampson, chancellor’s professor and director of Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

Hampson warned, however, that for now, the public has to be sensitive to the fact the story is complicated and ‘an allegation of such behaviour is not the same as culpability.’

Speaking generally about the idea of a diplomat spitting on another official, Margaret Dickenson, who teaches etiquette and protocol to diplomats and government officials, said it’s ‘completely unacceptable.’

“This is not just about his own behaviour,” said Dickenson, whose husband, Larry, was Canadian ambassador in Kuwait and Indonesia. ‘He has to understand that he’s representing the government of Canada and that makes it doubly worse.’

Dickenson said do not spit is not one of the directives she gives in her classes because it’s such a basic part of acceptable social behaviour. ‘It’s too belittling to mention it in class. You don’t even see people spitting on the street anymore. It’s completely off the charts.’

She doesn’t even like to mention to students that they shouldn’t lick their knives but, having seen ‘posh’ people doing just that at fancy restaurants in the capital, she has occasionally mentioned it by turning it into a joke in class.

“Etiquette is made up of unwritten guidelines and some firm rules,” she said. ‘It controls our behaviour in polite society.

And it’s off the map with this deal.’

Larry Dickenson, who is retired and teaches etiquette classes with his wife, concurred. ‘Diplomats have to be polite and courteous,’ he said. ‘It’s totally unacceptable and I agree with sending him home.’

Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed the accused is Jean Touchette, who was posted to the African country as first secretary in charge of cooperation. He is alleged to have spat in the face of a police officer who was directing traffic he was caught in and then later a journalist, who asked him about his apprehension.

As all diplomats have diplomatic immunity as a function of being posted abroad, they avoid prosecution in their host countries. The only way Touchette could have been charged for his alleged  transgression is if the Canadian government had waived his immunity, which it did not.

Although Foreign Affairs could offer no previous examples of that happening, officials said it would only happen in the event of a serious crime.

In this case, either his boss, the Canadian high commissioner for Tanzania, or officials at the department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, decided instead to recall him back to Ottawa.

“The elegant solution is to send the guy home,” Larry Dickenson said.

That’s the plan that High Commissioner Robert Orr announced in a statement over the weekend: ‘We regret the incident that took place on (Dec. 9), involving one of our officials,’ he wrote. ‘ In the best interest of all involved parties, the Canadian official will be leaving Tanzania at the earliest possible time and will return to Canada.’

It’s not clear when he’ll return to Canada but as of Tuesday morning, he was still in Tanzania.

With respect to Touchette’s future with the department, Hampson said:

‘It is unlikely to be a career advancer, especially if there were witnesses or a photographer present.’

Tanzania’s high commissioner to Canada wasn’t available for comment yesterday.

Diplomatic Brushes With the Torch

The Olympic torch stopped by one embassy and one diplomatic residence as it toured the city Saturday. Just after
lunch, torch-bearing brothers Matthew and Jonathan MacDonald visited the residence of Norwegian Ambassador Else Berit
Eikeland, where they encountered dozens of well-wishers waving both Norwegian and Canadian flags. For Eikeland, who
served traditional Norwegian Christmas cookies and drinks, it was a nice reminder of the winter Olympics her country hosted
in Lillehammer in 1994.

A couple of hours later, the torch made a quick stop outside the Greek embassy on MacLaren Street. Ambassador Nikolaos Matsis wasn’t well that day so his deputy, Michael Votsis, was on hand as Natalie Poirier handed the torch off to Foti Vassilyadi.

Jennifer Campbell is a freelance writer and editor in Ottawa. Reach her at Diplomatica@sympatico.ca.