Canada

1
Canadas Public Service

• Dr. David Zussman
• Jarislowsky Chair

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Table of contents

• Canadas Public Service (PS) today
• Public Service evolution in Canada
• What is driving change?
• Moving ahead
• Why Public Service matters?

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The Public Service (PS) today

• The federal Public Service is the largest
  enterprise in Canada in terms of workforce and
  spending.
• Manages a budget that amounts to over 16 of GDP.
• Affects citizens in countless ways every day
  through its service delivery, policy and
  regulatory work.

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The Public Service (PS) today
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The Public Service (PS) todayThe executive
cohort
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The Public Service (PS) today
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The Public Service (PS) today

• Major trends
• Shifting age profile
• Increasing diversity
• Changing nature of work
• A rising bar of public expectations, transparency
  and scrutiny
• Competitive labour market

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PS evolution in Canada

• Adoption of merit principle (1918)
• Employee protection (1965)
• Planning and coordination PPBS (1968)
• Public Service 2000 (1990)
• The PS Modernization Act (2006)

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What its driving change?

• Globalization
• The information revolution
• The emergence of many more horizontal issues
• The sheer complexity of Canada today
• Changing public attitudes toward government

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Moving ahead

• Canada is changing and so must the public
  service.
• If the public service does not renew itself it
  risks becoming less relevant, less useful and
  less respected at the years go by
• (Kevin Lynch, Clerk of the Privy Council)

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Moving ahead

• Looking to the future, the public service should
  be 
• Relevant and meaningful to Canadians
• Connected and networked
• Partnered with other organisations
• Agile at people management
• Citizen focused
• Values-infused
• Accountable

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Why public service matters?

• One of the most important and enduring
  competitive advantages that a country can have
  today is a lean, effective, honest civil
  service.
• (Thomas Friedman, Lexus and the Olive Tree)
• Quite simply, part of our success as a country
  has been, and will continue to be, linked to a
  professional public service that is dedicated to
  excellence
• (Kevin Lynch, Clerk of the Privy Council)