Treasury Board strategic IT modernization report finished, June implementation planned
About five years into Shared Services Canada’s amalgamation of government IT, the Treasury Board has completed an “IT Strategic Plan.” According to department spokesperson Michael Gosselin, the plan “puts forward principles and supporting activities to ensure that it delivers IT services that are secure, reliable, agile and valued. This will enhance service delivery and increase […]
House more cordial, but so far Liberals have thin legislative agenda: Scheer
Despite a “very cordial” relationship among House leaders, the government’s legislative agenda has been thin and unproductive, says Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer as MPs return for a spring sitting after a two-week break. “I’d say it’s cordial but it’s not productive,” Mr. Scheer told The Hill Times. “There’s really nothing that’s been introduced that […]
PBO report damages Liberals’ credibility on transparency
Last week, the Parliamentary Budget Office took the Trudeau government to task on a few aspects of its federal budget released March 22. A key complaint was that it included cost estimates for just two years instead of the normal five years. What’s more, it’s been learned that the Finance Department had provided the PBO […]
Federal public service unions not satisfied with Trudeau government’s first budget
The unions representing federal public servants say there were some welcome investments and gestures in the Trudeau government’s first budget released two weeks ago laying out how it will spend $290-billion this year, yet they also found it fell short on several fronts. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents about 140,000 federal employees, […]
Wernick planning to stick around PCO for a while, push on for ‘nimbleness and agility’ in PS
Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick says he’s in no rush to help establish a process for picking his successor since he doesn’t expect to be leaving the job any time soon. In January, Mr. Wernick was announced as the new clerk in a press release from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), which highlighted, as […]
Engage Canadians on open government: lessons learned from Tony Clement
Tony Clement, the former president of the Treasury Board, is credited with hosting the government’s first Google Hangout. He was criticized by some for trying too hard to “look cool.” On April 6, 2016, Scott Brison, the current president of the Treasury Board, will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, to host a Google […]
‘It’s been quite a learning curve,’ rookie Grit MPs want more House committee training, but veteran Liberal, opposition MPs say time’s up
Rookie Liberal MPs, who are trying to learn the ropes of House committees, say they want more formal training because they’re concerned opposition MPs will try to exploit their inexperience and embarrass them in front of stakeholders and Hill media. But veteran Liberal and opposition MPs say the House committee training is over and it’s time to […]
Public servants flock to PCO’s first-ever behavioural economics briefing
Hundreds of public servants took in the Privy Council Office’s conference on behavioural economics for the public sector last week in Ottawa to learn how to better influence public behaviour. It was the first conference of its kind in Canada. “The use of behavioural economics is an emerging tool for governments seeking to improve the programs and […]
Bélanger not first MP to call for gender neutral O Canada
Mauril Bélanger was not the first Member of Parliament to recommend a gender-neutral national anthem. Hopefully, he will be the last. Last week, the long-serving Liberal MP from Ottawa-Vanier was honoured by all his colleagues as he occupied the House Speaker’s chair in recognition of his contribution to Parliament. The emotional and heartfelt support from […]
House to vote on ISIS mission, continue debate on government bills
The House will vote this week on Canada’s mission against ISIS and will be finalizing procedure to begin debating private members’ bills by the next sitting week. On Monday, March 7, the House will vote on Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act, the Public […]
