Canadian Government Executive - Volume 26 - Issue 04

Our mission is to contribute to excellence in public service management EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR | J. RICHARD JONES john@promotivemedia.ca DEPUTY EDITOR | LORI TURNBULL lori@promotivemedia.ca MANAGING Editor | Marcello Sukhdeo marcello@promotivemedia.ca COPY EDITOR | James Brandon COLUMNISTS | JEFFREY ROY HARVEY SCHACHTER 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, Content & Business Development | David Blondeau 905-727-3875 david@promotivemedia.ca ART & PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR | Elena Pankova elena@promotivemedia.ca Subscriptions and Address Changes Circulation Services | circulation@promotivemedia.ca General Inquiries 21374, 2nd Concession Rd, East Gwillimbury, ON, L9N 0H7 Phone 905-727-3875 Fax 905-727-4428 www.canadiangovernmentexecutive.ca corporate Group Publisher | J. RICHARD JONES john@promotivemedia.ca Publisher’s Mail Agreement: 40052410 ISSN 1203-7893 Canadian Government Executive magazine is published 6 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 lori@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 Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. www.canadiangovernmentexecutive.ca 4 / Canadian Government Executive // September/October 2020 web As we brace for the “second wave” of COVID-19, there is a constant state of confusion as to what restrictions are in place and what areas are under those restrictions. Of course, this is due to the perpetual changes in the number of COVID-19 cases. One day you can gather in groups of a certain number, the next day that number is either decreased or increased. Some protocols in place make sense, while some don’t. Many are confused, overwhelmed, depressed, and scared, while others just want to go out and get some normalcy back. But, as we know, this issue is not just limited to a specific city or province but is affecting the entire country. Since the start of the pandemic in March, daily public announcements and new releases from government officials have become the norm, as well as an avalanche of news sto- ries across all the major news networks and social media sites. We are bombarded with COVID-19 news from multiple sources, coming to us from all directions, whether it’s televi- sion, our smart devices, or even speaking with friends and colleagues. During the “first wave” of the pandemic, multiple messages came daily from multiple messengers across multiple platforms from all three levels of government. This, of course, led to an overload of information. Today, as we face the “second wave” we need to exam- ine Canada’s communications during the pandemic to see what worked and what didn’t. Elizabeth Seymour and Michael A. O’Neill delve into this to single out the advantages and disadvantages of communications during COVID-19 and some of the lessons learned that can be applied during the “second wave” and future crises. As we continue to work remotely, the online workplace is becoming more of the norm these days. How should we handle political talk in the virtual workplace? In this issue, Angela Civitella provides five tips to keep this type of talk in check while working remotely. With COVID-19 shifting the role of government and how it functions. Brian Chidester writes that having a digitally-driven transformation will empower Canada’s public service to enhance its productivity and build resilience throughout its operations during these uncertain times. By 2023, Gartner estimates that over 80 per cent of government digital implementations that are not built on a technology platform will fail to meet objectives. So, by enabling a robust, digitally-driven Canadian public sector from coast to coast is not only necessary during this time, but highly advantageous and will produce many tangible benefits to Canadians. Another trending topic that is taking centre stage around the world is equality, diver- sity, and inclusion. CGE Columnist, John Wilkins writes about equality but from an equity standpoint. He points out that one of the goals of the United Nations is to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls by 2030. Equity is about ensuring that everyone has what is needed to succeed, it’s about fairness. He writes that mainstreaming gender eq- uity starts with measurement and culminates in shattering glass ceilings. By empowering women, both women and men can succeed. Thanks for taking the time to read this issue. Marcello Sukhdeo Managing Editor, Canadian Government Executive marcello@promotivemedia.ca editor’s note