Tag: Global Affairs
Letter from Ottawa: a new year begins quietly, but much lies ahead
2024 has begun relatively quietly in Canada but the ripples of the past couple of years are still being felt. It will be a year for public servants to put on their bifocals, says Michael Wernick – working on near-term pressures, but trying to look to the horizon.
Stress testing Canadian governance
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.
LETTER FROM OTTAWA: Strikes and Other Storm Clouds are on the Horizon for Canada’s Public Service.
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…
Letter from Ottawa: an exhausting year shows the limits of foresight
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
Heading for the Rapids? – Canadian Government Executive
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
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: After a winter of shocks, Canada’s Budget is the latest sign of stability
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.
LETTER FROM OTTAWA: Now is the winter of our discontent.
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.