Federal government doesn’t know how many offices sit empty: AG

Auditor General Karen Hogan’s report says departments need to accelerate their efforts to reduce office space, and PSPS needs better data on the number of public servants using office space on a daily basis.
Auditor general says feds didn’t get value for money in dozens of GC Strategies contracts

GC Strategies, the beleaguered Ottawa-based firm that was the primary contractor for the ArriveCan app, was awarded dozens of government contracts between 2015 and 2024 at a total value of over $92-million.
Shrinking the bureaucratic behemoth

The old playbook of trimming travel budgets and giving departments arbitrary cut targets won’t cut it.
Big dig under Centre Block has begun as project spending reaches $1.2-billion

Scaffolding is starting to go up along Centre Block’s iconic southern façade, and once erected, will be covered by a trompe-l’oeil tarp.
The missed opportunities of public procurement

Why are billions in public funding flowing offshore instead of helping to develop Canadian industries and foster intellectual property ownership?
New faces, old problems: does Carney’s new cabinet have the political will to fix defence procurement?

A dedicated secretary of state is ‘good news,’ but doesn’t signal the feds have someone in place to ‘who’s willing to own the risk’ on the defence procurement file, says professor Christian Leuprecht.
From first impressions to policy planning, public servants await new cabinet, new Parliament

From dusting off financial documents to preparing to welcome new ministers, there’s plenty of work to be done before King Charles III delivers the throne speech.
Protecting country against Trump requires a ‘robust public service,’ say unions after Liberal election win

Grits in Ottawa and Gatineau ridings boosted their margins, but fears of ‘DOGE-lite’ remain over party platform.
Liberals’ recycled plan to fix ‘badly busted’ defence procurement can take root in Trump era, say experts

But the political imperative to act is stronger today than it has been since the Cold War, says former federal Liberal defence minister David Pratt, and John McKay says Carney’s idea may be recycled but defence has become a big priority in the public’s eye.
Does size really matter? Rethinking public service reform

The conversation needs to evolve from a focus on public service headcount to a substantive dialogue about mission, governance, and effectiveness.