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Q:
You’ve had an interesting career path. Tell me
more about how you came to SSC…Why did you take
this job?
Yes, I’ve had many different roles, and they have all been chal-
lenging. My attraction to the public service was that it offered an
opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Canadians. I was
also attracted to SSC because it has a great mission: to provide
world-class information technology services and help depart-
ments deliver essential services and programs to Canadians.
Q:
Can you briefly outline the department’s mandate?
Our mandate is to build a modern, secure and cost-effective IT in-
frastructure… one that supports a public service that is open and
networked, that takes enterprise-wide approaches, and leverages
technology to deliver modern, reliable and cost-effective service.
This is no small task. The magnitude of the change that we are
leading has rarely been attempted before. Keeping the lights on
during a period of massive disruption, while planning and exe-
cuting a fundamental change to the delivery of IT infrastructure
services across the Government of Canada, presents a significant
challenge that will span years.
Q:
The Auditor General tabled a tough report for
SSC. What has been the reaction and the follow-up in
the department?
SSC accepted the Auditor General’s findings. In fact, they echo
some of the feedback I have received from partners, stakeholders
and staff since I have come on board.
For example, the report recommends that SSC develop a service
strategy to meet partner service needs and develop agreements
that set out service expectations and reporting commitments. It
also recommended that SSC provide more information to partners
on IT security protocols, guidelines and standards, and prioritize,
allocate and report on funding commitments and realized savings.
The department was already seized with many of the issues
identified in the Auditor General’s Report. By the time the report
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/ Canadian Government Executive
// April 2016
The Interview
Ron Parker
Shared Services Canada (SSC) has been on the hot seat recently. Created in 2011, it is responsible
for coordinating a government-wide IT consolidation initiative. It spends nearly $2 billion and has
approximately 5,700 employees. In early February, the department was the subject of a critical report
by the Auditor General that found “limited progress” in key elements of SSC’s transformation plan.
Ron Parker,
who was appointed President of SSC in July 2015, is now picking up the pieces.
Patrice Dutil, Editor of
Canadian Government Executive
, conducted this interview in light of the
Auditor General’s report.
Mr. Parker worked at the Bank of Montreal and the Bank of Canada before joining the Privy Council
Office in 2003 as Assistant Secretary, Liaison Secretariat for Macroeconomic Policy. Two years later he
was appointed Senior Assistant Deputy Minister at Industry Canada. He served as Associate Deputy
Minister at Employment and Social Development Canada from 2011 to 2013, and as Associate Secre-
tary of the Treasury Board from to 2013 until his appointment to SSC. Mr. Parker holds a Bachelor of
Arts (Honours) in Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Arts in Economics
from the University of Western Ontario.
on Meeting the
Challenges facing
Shared Services Canada