Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 04

OUR MISSION IS TO CONTRIBUTE TO EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | GEORGE ROSS george@promotivemedia.ca MANAGING EDITOR | MARCELLO SUKHDEO marcello@promotivemedia.ca COPY EDITOR | JAMES BRANDON COLUMNISTS | ANDREW GRAHAM JEFFREY ROY HARVEY SCHACHTER ALISON TAYLOR LORI TURNBULL JOHN WILKINS EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD DENISE AMYOT, PENNY BALLANTYNE, JIM CONNELL, MICHAEL FENN, LANA LOUGHEED, JOHN MILLOY, VIC PAKALNIS, ROBERT SHEPHERD, ANDREW TREUSCH, DAVID ZUSSMAN SALES & EVENTS VICE PRESIDENT, SALES | TERRI PAVELIC 905-727-3875 x2 terri@promotivemedia.ca DIRECTOR, MEDIA CONTENT & EVENTS | LASKEY S. HART 905-727-3875 x5 laskey@promotivemedia.ca ART & PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR | ELENA PANKOVA elena@promotivemedia.ca SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ADDRESS CHANGES CIRCULATION SERVICES | MARY LABAO (905) 841-7389 circulation@promotivemedia.ca GENERAL INQUIRIES 1-226 Edward Street, Aurora, ON, L4G 3S8 Phone 905-727-3875 Fax 905-727-4428 www.canadiangovernmentexecutive.ca CORPORATE GROUP PUBLISHER | JOHN JONES john@promotivemedia.ca Publisher’s Mail Agreement: 40052410 ISSN 1203-7893 Canadian Government Executive magazine is published 10 times per year by Navatar Press. All opinions expressed herein are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any person or organization associated with the magazine. Letters, submissions, comments and suggested topics are welcome, and should be sent to george@promotivemedia.ca REPRINT INFORMATION Reproduction or photocopying is prohibited without the publisher’s prior written consent. High quality reprints of articles and additional copies of the magazine are available through circulation@promotivemedia.ca . Privacy Policy: We do not sell our mailing list or share any confidential information on our subscribers. We acknowledge the financial support of the Govern- ment of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. www.canadiangovernmentexecutive.ca 6 / Canadian Government Executive // July/August 2018 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 policy shifts on the Ontario political scene, federal-provincial wrangling over Carbon Tax, and heated debates over refugee housing and settlement have dominated the news media; and I’m sure, the minds of government executives as well. In this edition of CGE , we touch on some of these issues and explore public service in Northern Canada. At the end of my public service career, after over three decades of work in Ontario, I had the privilege of fulfilling a lifelong dream and working in the North for the Yukon Territorial Government as Deputy Minister of Energy Mines and Resources. This experience opened my eyes to the richness of life in the North, the significant impact that public servants have on communities and the unique challenges of working in northern Canada. Having spent this time in the Yukon, it also became apparent to me how poor the under- standing is of the North is amongst most Canadians. Most Canadians have vague, romantic notions of the North, but few understand the unique attributes of territorial life that ema- nate from a more fundamental relationship with Indigenous communities; some of which have modern treaties, the reliance on industries for economic security, consensus govern- ment models of governing in the NWT and Nunavut, different relationships with the Fed- eral government, and the top-of-mind concerns about the impacts of climate change on the northern way of life. All of this makes for a vibrant environment for public servants working in the North. We have several contributions that profile public service work in the North. In this edition, I sat down with Dr. Joe Dragon, Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources for the government of the NWT and Janet King, President of the Canadian Northern Economic De- velopment Agencies. Both Joe and Janet have very interesting public service stories, share a passion for the North and have unique and refreshing perspectives on leadership. Also, we have some thought-provoking articles on the importance of innovation in govern- ment. A new contributor to CGE , Ed Bernacki, outlines the necessary ingredients for a new culture of innovation within the Canadian public service based on his international work. We also have articles on innovation in social services, the importance of cities in immigra- tion policy, the necessary ingredients for success in public service reform and the lessons learned from a series of public service management reforms. All our regular contributors are with us again, offering opinions on the public service issues of the day and pointing busy executives toward helpful tools and reading materials. I’m excited to announce that a new member has been added to the CGE team. Lori Turn- bull has been appointed Deputy Editor of CGE . She brings a dynamic skill set to CGE from her work as a professor at Dalhousie University teaching political science, as well as being the Interim Director of the School of Public Administration and a fellow at the Public Forum Policy. I will continue to serve as Editor-in-Chief overseeing the advisory board as well as the content strategy for CGE and I look forward to working with Lori. Stay tuned for more news and, as always, comments, contributions, and advice are always welcome. George Ross, Editor-in-Chief WEB EDITOR’S NOTE