The Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada recently honoured public service leadership with its annual Awards of Excellence.
Public Service Citation
Robert R. Fowler
Robert Fowler had a distinguished, 38-year career in the public service including serving Prime Ministers Trudeau, Turner and Mulroney as Foreign Policy Advisor. Prior to his retirement in 2006, he held the positions of Deputy Minister of National Defence, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations and to Italy, and the personal representative for Africa of Prime Ministers Chrétien, Martin and Harper. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and is currently a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

For decades, he was a dominant force in Canadian foreign affairs and was known for his direct, no-nonsense style. In July 2008, the UN Secretary General appointed Mr. Fowler to be his Special Envoy to Niger; in December, Mr. Fowler and his colleague Louis Guay were kidnapped by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. He remains a voice for the importance of sound foreign policy, and continues to contribute to our understanding of current geopolitical events.

Career Contribution
Carol Buckley
Director General, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada
Carol Buckley has devoted her 31-year career to advancing energy efficiency efforts in Canada and internationally. Her leadership in this field has delivered real, concrete results for Canadians, industry and businesses. Thanks to her tireless efforts and her international work, Canada is among the world leaders in energy efficiency programming. For the past three decades, Ms. Buckley has legitimized the role of energy efficiency as a means of protecting the environment, saving consumers money, creating jobs, stimulating the economy and improving the productivity and competitiveness of Canada’s business sector.

Partnership
Mickey Sarazin
Director General, Income Tax Rulings Directorate, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
In 2014, the three associations within the accounting profession merged to form the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA), representing over 190,000 accounting professionals. Mickey Sarazin oversees the Income Tax Rulings file within CRA, and immediately recognized the opportunity to
partner with this new body to facilitate collaboration between the Agency and tax professionals across the country.

Mr. Sarazin capitalized on his excellent working relationships with leaders of the new CPA Canada, and presented the idea of a joint CRA–CPA Framework Agreement. It would facilitate collaboration between the profession’s key representatives and the CRA’s senior management, and allow them to identify areas of Canada’s tax administration in need of improvement. The Framework was signed late last year by the Minister of National Revenue and the president of the CPA – the first of its kind internationally, recognized for its innovative approach to improving and strengthening the tax system within Canada.

Leadership Award
Randall Beck
Assistant Commissioner, Core Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The RCMP Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) deploys Canadian officers to rebuild police services in countries that have experienced conflict or upheaval. Assistant Commissioner Randall Beck exemplified leadership excellence in developing a framework for the establishment of civilian policing for the people of Mindanao in the Philippines. Through his direct involvement in the field, commitment to the public good, and ability to recognize the ethnic and cultural differences and competing values, he helped build the foundations of enduring peace between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front – two groups divided by over 50 years of conflict, profound loss of life and displacement of millions of people. Despite the constraints of a six-month deployment schedule, budget limitations, strict UN processes, risk to personal safety, and the mass destruction of typhoon Yolanda during the deployment, Assistant Commissioner Beck persevered, delivering the mandate successfully and on time.

Innovative Team
Text with 9-1-1 Team
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
CRTC’s T9-1-1 team epitomizes innovation and teamwork. The team took advantage of new technologies
– text messaging, IP communications networks, and wireless location information – to develop a highly innovative solution that makes it possible for hearing and speech impaired Canadians to access 9-1-1
and emergency services more directly and efficiently. Throughout the course of the project all appropriate
stakeholders were at the table, and every significant decision made during the many phases of the project and over 1000 meetings was through consensus of the partners representing the telecommunications industry, provincial and municipal governments, emergency services personnel, equipment vendors, and speech and hearing impaired Canadians. At the end of the implementation phase, approximately 250 9-1-1 call centres across Canada will have updated their technology, developed new processes and trained emergency personnel to interact with citizens in a brand new way.

Healthy Workplace Award
Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada
Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada have demonstrated an innovative, comprehensive and progressive approach to addressing workplace wellness. Their outstanding commitment to employee wellbeing, positive mental health in the workplace and their leading edge work are paving the way for similar approaches in other public service organisations. Their Multi-Year Mental Health and Wellness in the Workplace Strategy has received an overwhelming endorsement from the Mental Health Commission of Canada as a best-practice approach to address workplace wellness. Over 400 employees have already received Mental Health First Aid training to recognize and understand the symptoms of mental health problems, to provide help to prevent mental health problems from developing into a more serious state, and to identify ways to access professional help.