Liberals turn sights on social media giants in bid to boost elections bill
The Liberal government wants to push major online platforms to expand their political advertising registries north of the border, as part of a package of more than 60 changes it’s proposing to its already-sweeping elections modernization bill. When MPs return from their ridings on Oct. 15, members of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) […]
‘I don’t see any end to this any time soon’: Conservatives dig in heels over Liberal elections bill
Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould was left cooling her heels last week as the committee studying the government’s elections bill continued to squabble over a timeline to send it back to the House. And Conservative MPs say they’re willing to draw out the debate for as long as they think is necessary. Ms. Gould (Burlington, Ont.), […]
Political parties set to testify about data use, collection efforts at House Affairs Committee
Representatives from Canada’s top federal political parties are set to testify before the House Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics Committee about how they use and collect data, as part of an ongoing study into the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach and the privacy concerns it’s raised. At the same time, some MPs on the committee […]
PCO clerk Wernick celebrates the bureaucracy’s best at annual awards shindig
Most Hillites have heard of Canada-U.S. coordinator Brian Clow’s unit based out of the Prime Minister’s Office, but what about the bureaucrats backing them up? Known as the Canada-United States Engagement team, the 15-person group was recognized with an Exemplary Contribution Under Extraordinary Circumstances award at the 2018 Public Service Award of Excellence ceremony held […]
Diplomacy first, but new PBO says he’s not afraid to take departments to court
Canada’s new parliamentary budget officer says he’s ready to do what needs to be done to deliver government financial information to Parliamentarians and the public, even if it means going to court or putting him at odds with bureaucrats he’s worked with before. “I might be characterized as somebody who will be very demanding of […]
‘Streamlining’ of cabinet committees an effort to shore up priorities before 2019, say strategists
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to slim down the cabinet committee roster, and decrease the number of assignments per minister, is likely an effort to streamline work, free up ministers, and ensure the government’s agenda progresses in the last year before the 2019 election, say strategists. “The reduction of cabinet committees is a sign that […]
Public Services to pitch next step for Phoenix pay fix in September
The office responsible for fixing the troubled Phoenix pay system is taking another step forward, hoping to cut the time it will take to get thousands of public servants paid properly. Problems with Phoenix have left public servants with too little or too much pay for almost two and a half years. Les Linklater, the associate […]
Action plan laid out in new PCO anti-harassment report encouraging, say union heads
Top-level managers are indicating they’re ready to get serious about rooting out harassment in the public service, suggesting in a new report actions with concrete timelines to better support victims and educate employees and managers on the long-standing issue. Safe Workspaces: Starting a Dialogue and Taking Action on Harassment in the Public Service, which was […]
How to build trust in government? Better spending management
Trust in government has been a longstanding discussion topic, and mismanagement of the public purse is the number one contributor to negative perceptions. Government organizations are accountable to the public and have a responsibility to spend wisely. In today’s growing climate of mistrust, these organizations cannot fly under the radar. They need to be proactive […]
Expect more deputy minister retirements as the pre-2019 transition machine rumbles to life, say insiders
With a little more than a year until the next election, civil service insiders say there will likely be an increase in deputy minister retirements in the coming months before the bureaucracy starts its process of preparing for a potential change in government in 2019. No one wanted to guess who was leaving or how […]
