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Stress testing Canadian governance
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Across Canada, the public sector struggled to put in place pandemic public health measures, provide emergency relief to households and businesses, and continue to deliver a vast array of services to Canadians. These efforts are now going through after-action reviews supported by an extensive array of officers and agents of Parliament.
New RCMP units to protect ministers, top bureaucrats from threats of political violence
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The RCMP is preparing to offer close protection services to both senior federal ministers and public servants in response to the rising threat of political violence, sources say.
Launching constitutional reform in Canada would be a terrible idea
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One of my vivid memories from a long career in public service was when I met Quebec’s then-premier, Robert Bourassa, in a hotel elevator in Charlottetown in August, 1992. It was the morning that the political accord was finalized. A little later, prime minister Brian Mulroney dropped by the federal delegation room to thank the…
Think of the managers: Non-union civil servants need raises, too
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During the current labour dispute Canadians will hear from the public-service unions and from the employer’s negotiator, the Treasury Board. There are only two ways the story can end. One is a negotiated settlement ratified by the union membership. The other is back-to-work legislation that imposes terms or sends issues off to binding arbitration. There…
LETTER FROM OTTAWA: Strikes and Other Storm Clouds are on the Horizon for Canada’s Public Service.
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Spring has taken its time to arrive in most of Canada this year. An April ice storm knocked out electricity to more than a million customers in Montreal and surrounding areas, creating flashbacks to a similar event in late 1998. However, arrive it has, and with it familiar and comforting rites, notably the ice hockey…
These practical ideas can help reinvigorate Canada’s public sector
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The Canadian public sector is having a moment. Typically, it only draws attention from politicians and pundits in episodes, usually as a response to a specific problem or breakdown. This feedback loop has been an essential driver of change, as governments look to make the pain go away and pledge to fix the problem and…
Public sector workers and Ottawa prepare to lock horns over double-digit wage union demands
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The federal government and unionized workers are preparing to lock horns over double-digit wage hikes to account for higher inflation and rules for remote work in what is shaping up to be a heated series of contract negotiations.
The never-ending question of contracting in the public service
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Over the last few months, we have seen a rising tide of interest in the use of contracted services by the federal government. The latest episode seems to have crystallized around the use of consulting firms, notably McKinsey & Company. It has triggered another round of partisan squabbling at a parliamentary committee and the pack…
Public service union’s wage demands a sign of things to come, says labour expert
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As the union representing tens of thousands of federal public servants prepares to hold strike votes across the country, one expert in labour negotiations says we should be prepared for more contract disputes thanks to high inflation.
The pull and push of the centre that haunts the public service
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The federal public sector has been shaped by two easily identifiable democratic forces – the views of the people we elect about the role of the state in society and the economy as well as the federal government’s role within the federation. Federal institutions, direct programs and transfers to other levels of government have waxed…
Michael Wernick: Canadian parties share tension and uneasiness
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A former federal bureaucrat doesn’t think Canadians have an appetite for a federal election any time soon. Michael Wernick spent 25 years working in various senior public service roles.
Letter from Ottawa: an exhausting year shows the limits of foresight
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Accountability in government is important – but hindsight must be used to help build resilience and capacity in the public sector, not make politicians and public servants even more risk averse
Improving record keeping crucial to open government, says former head of federal public service
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The former head of the federal public service says neglect and underinvestment in recordkeeping is undermining the government’s “lofty language” about its commitment to open government, and making it harder to locate documents people ask for under access-to-information law.
Leaving the comfort zone: Difficult issues in public sector reform
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Much of the commentary on the public sector stays at the level of generalities. Exhortations to become more strategic, more inclusive, bolder in advice and better in delivery are impossible to contest. Too often, the discussion stops short of analyzing resistance or tradeoff among objectives. As in so many things, we are much better at…
Heading for the Rapids? – Canadian Government Executive
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It isn’t too early to cast an eye to the far horizon and the scenarios for the period just before and just after the next federal election. About a year from now this kind of forecasting will move from providing filler for political pundits to serious planning by a myriad of associations and lobbyists, and…
Letter from Ottawa: The changing of the political seasons – and royal eras
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Politics is gearing up again in Canada as summer turns to autumn. Michael Wernick, the former clerk of the privy council and secretary to cabinet, sets out the stakes in months – and years – ahead, and reflects on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II
Letter from Ottawa: a little perspective on public service problems
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Passport processing delays have prompted debate about service delivery in Canada. Michael Wernick, the country’s former cabinet secretary, warns against catastrophising – and says old ways of talking about the public service stand in the way of progress
Letter from Ottawa: After a winter of shocks, Canada’s Budget is the latest sign of stability
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A political agreement that increased the durability of the government and a Budget that that launched a number of policy reviews indicate that the government in Ottawa is trying to think more long term.
Shifting pair bonds: Canada’s former public service chief shares his top tips for working with ministers
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n his new book, Michael Wernick shares insights gathered over 13 years in the top echelons of the Canadian public service. He talks to Mia Hunt about one chapter of Governing Canada: A Guide to the Tradecraft of Politics in particular
LETTER FROM OTTAWA: Now is the winter of our discontent.
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Opinion: the ongoing truckers’ protests against COVID-19 restrictions in Canada could be taken as a worrying sign of polarisation. But as Michael Wernick, former clerk of the Privy Council writes, things may not be as gloomy as they seem.