PCO forecasts $64-million cut, dropping 64 staff over next three years
The Privy Council Office’s departmental plan outlines $278-million in spending this fiscal year—easily a four-year high—while forecasting cuts down to $214-million by 2027-28.
A new leader for the public service
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Michael Sabia will be the next Clerk of the Privy Council, effective July 7. Sabia will join Carney and Marc-André Blanchard, who has been tapped to be Carney’s chief of staff, to form the triumvirate that will lead the country during an uncertain time. These leadership appointments reflect Prime […]
Carney could ‘weed out bad apples’ with his high expectations for federal public service
Top public servants might straighten up and self-correct if they know the prime minister isn’t afraid of swift discipline, say former bureaucrats, who welcome Carney’s ‘sound management practices.’
Federal public service cut by nearly 10,000 jobs, new data shows
The 2.7 per cent dip as of March 2025 represents the first time the public service hasn’t grown since 2015, which experts say isn’t surprising given the Liberal government’s 2024 budget forecast the population to shrink by attrition.
Former top bureaucrat Jocelyne Bourgon calls for bold public service reform to match Carney’s economic plan
Jocelyne Bourgon, former PCO clerk during the Jean Chrétien era and the architect of the 1990s program review, says delivering on Mark Carney’s agenda will require rethinking government, not just trimming it.
Carney clicked with caretaker convention’s call for restraint, experts say
Mark Carney’s Liberal government had few cabinet orders during the election despite criticism that he wasn’t adhering to the caretaker convention.
Governing through transition(s)
No matter who wins the next election, the government will need a bureaucracy that is politically savvy and quick to adapt to evolving situations and challenges.
Trump’s tariffs could require pandemic-style public service mobilization, say observers
Donald Trump’s month-long delay pushes talks closer to the date of the Liberal leadership contest, the end to prorogation, and a potential federal election.
PacifiCan has new president after Jones departs
Plus, PCO deputy secretary Mollie Johnson adds clean growth responsibilities to her existing role.
Hannaford launches existential discussion on government’s role in the 21st century
There will likely be a change in government in the near future, and a new laser focus on fiscal restraint. This will undoubtedly drive a conversation on the role of government: what should it be doing, and what can be better—and more cost-effectively—done by others?
