“We need your leadership. The important and challenging work you do is integral to Canada’s social and cultural vitality and our continued economic resilience…you can make a huge impact…by focusing on the results…and opening our minds to different approaches to delivering on our mission. So for those of you who want to innovate, I’m with you.
“You have the talent, the initiative and the know-how to reach beyond our accomplishments of the past and create something even better…together we can bring out the best in our public service and the best in Canada.”
Minister Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, was preaching to the choir, a group of leading-edge public service thinkers at the PSEngage conference November 27. It was an inspiring message, a real contrast to the gloom and doom of a year ago.
Clement also referenced Treasury Board Secretariat’s reduction in office space and consolidation from 11 sites to two. And the coming reduction in government websites from 1,500 to six—organized around citizens’ needs rather than government structure.
He repeated the key themes of fiscal responsibility, getting beyond government’s risk-averse, slow to react, entrenched behaviour and status quo thinking, to achieve: “Excellent service at reasonable cost.” He’s well aware of the principles of innovation, adoption of new technologies, and having a culture that embraces that innovation.
Unfortunately, the backstage manager rang the gong and ended his speech early. You can read the full transcript at https://canadiangovernmentexecutive.capv2/knowledge/article/?nav_id=1064
