Public service in Canada’s North: An interview with Dr. Janet King
George Ross, editor in chief of Canadian Government Executive spoke with Dr. Janet King, president of Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency about public service in Canada’s North. Here is the full interview. Janet, when I looked over your bio, I think its fair to say you have a remarkable background and set of experiences. You are a trained geologist, and...
Exploring public service in the North
Usually, the summer period is a relatively slow time for public servants across the county. Parliaments and legislatures are in recess, politicians are spending much deserved time in their ridings, and family vacations become a priority for hard working staff. However, this year seems to be an exception. Issues with the Phoenix Pay system, dramatic...
Being Canadian: Québec’s dialogue with the rest of Canada
The Québec government has initiated a historic engagement process. The 2017 Policy on Québec Affirmation and Canadian Relations, invites a dialogue with the other governments and civil society organizations in Canada on recognizing Québec’s place in the federation in a mutually satisfactory way and ending the constitutional stalemate of the 1980’s and 1990’s. The dialogue...
Canadian Government Executive appoints Deputy Editor
Canadian Government Executive media (CGE) announced today that Lori Turnbull has been appointed Deputy Editor of the publication. She will bring experience and a dynamic skill set to CGE from her work as a professor at Dalhousie University teaching political science as a faculty member since 2005, as well as being the Interim Director of...
Northern Leadership Perspectives: An interview with Dr. Joe Dragon
Wildlife Biologist, professional hockey player and public servant, born and raised in a small First Nations Community in the Northwest Territories, Joe Dragon has returned home as the NWTs Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. He joins CGE Editor-in-Chief George Ross to share his leadership perspectives. Dr. Joe Dragon was appointed in December 2016 as Deputy Minister...
From Policy Maker to Change Maker
From research to policy implementation, Canadian public servants possess the knowledge and expertise that have shaped and strengthened the country’s socioeconomic landscape. In this article, we look at the tremendous impact of former high-level government officials who decided to share their expertise and knowledge as volunteers. With over 50 years of experience of working in...
President of the Public Service Commission willing to do what it takes
Recently, CGE Editor-in-Chief George Ross sat down with Patrick Borbey, President of the Public Service Commission of Canada to talk about his role, priorities, leadership approach, the role that PSC can play in the reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous people and more. Patrick Borbey was appointed President of the Public Service Commission in May 2017. He has held a number of...
Bookshelf: The Four Tendencies
At work, we are often trying to satisfy a bundle of expectations, which can be boiled down to those expectations we place upon ourselves and those placed by others. In government, of course, those outer expectations can be powerful, handed down from the public, the minister, and our immediate boss. But we all react differently,...
On the need for Departmental Chief Procurement Officers
Procurement modernization has been a Government of Canada (GC) policy priority for the last decade: regrettably, with limited results. In recognition of the criticality of transformation, the Prime Minister’s 2015 mandate letter to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) directed her to (1) modernize procurement practices so that they are simpler and...
Large-scale change occurs when a sizeable body of people gets behind an opportunity and acts on critical initiatives linked to a shared strategy. Kotter International estimates that companies with highly-engaged employees average 147 per cent higher earnings per share. Dr. John Kotter states that, “… history has demonstrated that it is possible to find many...
