Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 04

32 / Canadian Government Executive // July/August 2018 BY OWEN TAYLOR PERSPECTIVE Top 4 ways the government can help Canada excel A healthy Canadian economy and opportunities outside of North America are keeping Canadian chief executive officers (CEOs) positive about the future. According to PwC Canada’s 21st CEO Survey, 72 per cent of Canadian CEOs are confident the global economy will improve over the next year, while 88 per cent are confident in the growth prospects of their businesses. This optimism extends to the view of business threats. Compared to 60 per cent of CEOs globally, only 30 per cent of Cana- dian CEOs are concerned about the lack of trust in their businesses. Canadian CEOs are also less worried about the availability of specific skills, such as digital acumen. It is important for government execu- tives to understand the issues that are top of mind for CEOs. This helps to ensure that program and policy decisions speak to the needs of Canadian businesses. At the same time, public sector organizations face many of the same challenges as busi- nesses — from how to encourage innova- tion to how best to embrace disruptive technologies. By integrating private and public sector perspectives, government leaders can make decisions that support Canada as a whole. The findings of this year’s CEO Survey highlight four lessons government execu- tives should consider to help Canada excel. 1. Use disruptive technologies to improve services In today’s world, new technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence are reshaping how work is conducted. More than 65 per cent of Canadian CEOs be- lieve such technologies will disrupt their operations over the next five years. This disruption won’t be limited to the private sector. Technologies that improve services and customer responsiveness could also radically shift public sector op- erations. Government executives need to evaluate how best to use these disruptive technologies. For example, the British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General has been a pioneer in digital transformation since 2013. As part of its Tribunal Transforma- tion Initiative, it has used cloud-based applications to lower barriers to justice, decrease paper-based processes, and re- duce processing times and costs. Activities like these can improve citizen interactions while improving efficiencies. 2. Plant seeds for innovation excellence While Canadian CEOs recognize the transformative power of technology, only 28 per cent know how to use them effec- tively. Public sector institutions can play a key role in sharing knowledge across the public and private sector, building mo- mentum across the board. The federal government’s Superclusters Initiative, announced in February 2018, is a big step in this regard. This $950-million program aims to grow Canadian innova- tion clusters similar to Silicon Valley in order to spur innovation, job creation and GDP growth. 3. Build trust with stakeholders Trust is an essential component of the long-term success of the Canadian econo- my, yet more than 20 per cent of CEOs be- lieve trust between their organization and the government is declining. For public sector organizations, trust is also critical — particularly when it comes to hard-to- reach and at-risk populations. Public sec- tor institutions need to assess trust erosion so they can find better ways to engage with citizens and provide more benefits to soci- ety as a whole. In our recent “Policing in a networked world” report, we examined how police departments across Canada are using tech- nology to provide more proactive commu- nity services in order to build trust and better engage with stakeholders. 4. Manage the future skills gap The availability of critical skills will con- tinue to be important to both Canadian businesses and public sector organizations in the future. More than 60 per cent of Ca- nadian CEOs are particularly concerned about the availability of digital skills. Federal and provincial governments need to take steps now to understand and mitigate potential skills shortages. By be- ing proactive, governments can avert po- tential gaps before they start to impact Ca- nadian productivity. In tandem with this, public sector organizations that have pio- neered digital advancement to date should consider developing strategies to address the talent drain that could result from the private sector luring talent away. Fostering a bright future While the short-term outlook for Canada is positive, it’s important that government executives recognize the issues concerning CEOs are relevant beyond the private sec- tor. By using these issues to assess the value of existing activities and to develop new ones, public sector organizations can help foster a bright future for everyone. O wen T aylor is the National Public Sector Leader with PwC Canada. It is important for government executives to understand the issues that are top of mind for CEOs. This helps to ensure that program and policy decisions speak to the needs of Canadian businesses.