We are now a matter of days away from a federal election in Canada. With over 27 million Canadians on the National Register of Electors, and with a turnout that is expected to be below 60 per cent, Canada is on the verge of facing some grim reforms. The pandemic, the economy, the housing market, manufacturing, to have or not to have a vaccine passport, the dire situation in Afghanistan – these are some big issues that will help shape the Canada of the future. The changes that each political party is campaigning around will no doubt change Canada from both a public sector and a private sector perspective.
On the election issue, Lori Turnbull writes about the election that no one wanted. By calling an early election, the intent of the Liberal government is to turn its minority status into a majority. This, of course, is what the polls were suggesting, a majority for Prime Minister Trudeau. But now that we have the campaigning in full swing, a different picture is being painted through the polls – one where the Conservatives are gaining ground and with a possible win for Erin O’Toole. So, what happens if the Liberals don’t get their majority? Check out Lori’s piece to find out.
Speaking about reforms, John Wilkins, CGE columnist, writes about how decades of reform point to four enduring dilemmas. For it to really work, reform must be implemented with agility, learning on the go, and sharing knowledge about what works and does not work in practice. He points out that Canada has perhaps the most decentralized system of government in the world. Policy, programming, and service delivery are designed horizontally to manage this reality. A moderate tradition of incremental reform features four interrelated streams: (1) modernizing management practices; (2) deficit reduction; (3) people management; and (4) transparency and reporting. Taking a thematic view of parallel initiatives synergizes relationships, reforms, and results.
To help us move forward we need good leaders. But what constitutes a good leader? Nancy Rao, a public servant with the Province of Ontario describes a true leader as one who is involved in spending more time listening rather than speaking, trusting their staff, and seeking their advice. A leader’s job is to nurture employees’ abilities and to provide the necessary tools so that they can in turn lead. Leading from behind supports members of the team in driving forward the organization. They partake enthusiastically in successes that foster personal growth and recognize contributions. As we reach this moment in time, we now more than ever need great, true, and strong leaders to help steer and position Canada for the future.
As the world continues to battle Covid, there is still the bigger issue that has been looming for a while – threats from cyberspace. Jeffrey Roy, writing in his column, talks about three facets to strengthen the governance of cyberspace – (1) the need for multilateral dialogue and coordinated response, governments must prioritize open-source architectures and open standards across public and private infrastructure, (2) shifting away from an excessive reliance on proprietary solutions that heighten dependency on secretive outsourcing and (3) governments must prioritize digital literacy at home.
Other articles in this issue focus on organizational success, building relationships, diversity and inclusion in federal government, and more.
Thanks for taking the time to read this issue.
