Public service grew again in 2018, rebounding from Harper-era cuts
The size of the federal public service grew again in 2018, continuing a trend under Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, and rebounding from cuts made under former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper. Since Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) became prime minister in 2015, the public service has grown from 257,034 to 273,571 in 2018, with the biggest […]
Feds shift to non-traditional workspaces, but not everyone’s happy about it
While the outgoing head of the public service positively portrayed the government’s shift to non-traditional office environments in his final annual report released earlier this month, some public service unions say the changes aren’t conducive to a good workspace, with some employees having no designated desks, leaving little space for personal belongings or accessibility accommodations. […]
Diving into uncertainty: Canada’s submarine crisis
The Canadian government recently announced plans to rehabilitate its aging fleet of Victoria-class diesel-electric submarines it acquired from Britain in the late 1990s. This endeavour raises critical questions about the future capabilities of the Royal Canadian Navy in an increasingly complex area of naval operations. Officially known in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) by their […]
Senate set to ditch Phoenix in January
While the federal government is pumping another half-billion dollars into trying to right the Phoenix payroll-system ship, the Senate will be in its own life raft by next year. On March 21, the Senate’s Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration Committee, which handles legal and financial affairs for the Upper Chamber, approved a Jan. 1, 2020 […]
PSAC, Treasury Board inch closer in contract talks as election looms
Contract talks for Public Service Alliance of Canada groups representing more than 90,000 bureaucrats seem to have some momentum, but national president Chris Aylward says there needs to be more than just a marginal shift if the two sides want to ink a deal before the election—a window that is “closing very quickly.” The pressure […]
Name caucus reps to get MP input on Centre Block rehab, says Board of Internal Economy
MPs weren’t consulted enough in the planning process for the renovation of the West Block, say House of Commons administrative staff, who welcomed the idea of a working group of Parliamentarians tasked with giving feedback to avoid pitfalls in the upcoming revamp of Centre Block. Michel Patrice, the House deputy clerk of administration, told the […]
Amid SNC-Lavalin lobbying, legalizing deferred prosecution agreements in budget bill raises questions about ‘timing’ and ‘undue influence,’ says ethics lawyer
The Liberal government’s decision to use a budget bill to legalize deferred prosecution agreements raises questions about whether lobbyists had “undue influence” on the government as it made the business-friendly legal change, says an expert in ethics law. The timing of the decision to use a fast-tracked budget bill to make changes while SNC-Lavalin stared […]
Time to debate separating top civil servant’s roles, says leading expert Savoie
As the debate around the possibility of separating the two hats of the minister of justice and attorney general continues, one well-regarded public administration expert says it’s time to have a similar discussion about splitting the three hats worn by the top federal bureaucrat, Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick. Currently, the clerk of the Privy […]
No ‘strong commitment’ to improve public service culture, Tory MP says, after government response to committee report
The government has dismissed a House committee’s concerns that turnover at the deputy minister level is too high in some departments, pointing instead to higher churn of top public servants overseas. A unanimous October report from the Public Accounts Committee backstopped former auditor general Michael Ferguson’s concerns about the tenure of the bureaucracy’s most senior […]
Phoenix is the gift that keeps on taking
OTTAWA—I am pissed off with the government of Canada. Not with the current debacle/debate over SNC-Lavalin, the Prime Minister’s Office, the attorney general or the director of public prosecutions. Not even the clerk of the Privy Council, who showed he is, first among all things, the prime minister’s deputy. No, the reason for my anger […]
