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 […]
The not-so-great reformer: PM Trudeau tone deaf and disconnected in handling of SNC-Lavalin kerfuffle
OTTAWA—To state the Liberal government is chasing its tail in figuring out how to respond to Jody Wilson-Raybould’s masterful performance at the Justice Committee would be understating it. The Trudeau Liberals have a tough job to do if they hope to lighten the impact of the former attorney general’s admission of feeling sustained pressure to […]
PSPC set to award contracts to speed up Phoenix pay processing, says Linklater, as unions protest third anniversary
Later this month, the department overseeing the fix of the government’s Phoenix pay system will award two contracts to companies in the hopes of speeding up the processing of public servants’ problem pay. Public Services and Procurement Canada associate deputy minister Les Linklater, who is in charge of fixing the pay system, told the House […]
Security boosts rankle some Senators as they adapt to new building
The new Senate of Canada Building may be an “architectural gem,” but there were still a few lumps of coal to be sifted out last week as Senators returned from their winter break to the Upper Chamber’s new temporary home. Senators came back Feb. 19 for their first sitting in the new Chamber in the […]
Nearly two-thirds of public servants have unresolved pay issues three years after Phoenix launched, survey shows
More than half of the public servants who experience harassment at work and choose to do nothing about it say they don’t file a formal complaint because they feel it wouldn’t matter, according to the results of the latest government-commissioned survey of federal employees. Meanwhile, 65 per cent of survey respondents say they have not yet […]
Criminal charges raises spectre of SNC-Lavalin takeover, but feds’ $180-billion infrastructure plan can find other builders, experts say
If SNC-Lavalin is found guilty of corruption and fraud charges, it could mean a closing nail in the coffin for the Quebec-based company’s chances of preventing a takeover—something that could infuriate many in the province and provoke a government intervention, experts say. A competitive marketplace for federal construction contracts means the company’s potential exclusion from […]
We can do more to make Canada more accessible, inclusive
“The decency of a society is measured by how it cares for its least powerful members,” wrote Rabbi Harold Kushner. These words ring especially true when it comes to people with disabilities. While policy-makers have achieved progress in making Canada more accessible and inclusive, significant deficiencies remain. Last week, in an effort to address some […]
New book for early-career civil servants meant to demystify how government works
Not sure what the bureaucracy’s hierarchy is? Never heard of a policy cycle? Not sure what you need to emphasize in your public-sector job application? Memorial University political science professor Alex Marland has a book for you. Teaming up with University of Alberta political science professor Jared Wesley, the two are trying to make sense […]
