Profile: Jean-Pierre Laframboise

Consular job full of adventure and discovery

When you are travelling outside Canada and you run into trouble, your first call may be to Jean-Pierre Laframboise. He is one of many consular officers stationed in countries around the world to assist Canadians.

As a consular officer with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, it’s Jean-Pierre’s job to help Canadians who are in trouble overseas—whether they’re suffering from an illness, coping with a natural disaster or being detained in a foreign prison.

Jean-Pierre was on call, for instance, during the Canadian evacuation of Lebanon in the summer of 2006 and the aftermath of the tsunami that devastated coastal areas of Southeast Asia in December 2004.

Worked in 11 countries

Jean-Pierre is currently posted to Bogotá, Colombia. So far, he has worked in 11 different countries around the globe.

“Although there have been some tough assignments along the way,” Jean-Pierre says, “I now have only fond memories of all of these places and, in particular, of our local employees who are so dedicated.”

He’s seen changes and successes in many countries that he’s visited years after finishing an assignment. “The China of today is a far cry from when I first worked there in 1979,” he says. “The Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have improved immensely since gaining independence from the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s.”

Variety of situations

A consular officer’s work can involve a variety of roles and situations. “There are days devoted entirely to complicated consular cases,” Jean-Pierre says. “This could mean visiting a hospitalized Canadian, arranging for the repatriation of the remains of a Canadian—natural death most of the time, but occasionally as the result of an accident—visiting a Canadian in jail to provide advice and assistance, or working on a child custody case.” 

A Public Service job abroad offers many rewards, Jean-Pierre says. First of all, he likes “the excitement when arriving in a country for a new assignment—that feeling of adventure and discovering new people and places.”

He’s had some rough years, he admits, but adds, “I’d be happy to do it all over again.”

Best part of job

The best part of his work, though, is “being able to help people in distress.” When Jean‑Pierre feels the gratitude of Canadians he helps, he knows he’s doing his job.

“I’m amazed at how many Canadians write to us even after an unpleasant incident or difficult moment to express their gratitude for our help,” he says.

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