Just the facts - Public Policy Forum

PUBLIC POLICY
DES POLITIQUES PUBLIQUES
F RUM
Ed Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer, TD Bank Financial Group
and Frank McKenna, Deputy Chair and former Premier of New Brunswick
take part in a Public Policy Forum Business Roundtable.
Canada’s Public Service:
TO SERVE AND PROJECT
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The Public Service P
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14 Roundtable Discussion
8 Canadian Cities tial Canadians
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5o Interviews with Infl
10 Original Publications e Article
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1 Award-Winning M izen Stories
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4 Front-Page Otta s
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2 High-Profile Lec s
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8 Breakfast Spea
ighteen long months ago, the Public
Policy Forum embarked on a remarkable
journey of discovery. An intrepid team
was sent out into the field to cut through
thickets, dive in uncharted waters and
discourse with local populations and their
leaders in their own habitat—all to better
understand the challenges and choices
facing Canada’s public service.
The result? A new report entitled Canada’s
Public Service in the 21st Century.
As an organization with expertise in
public sector issues—and a membership
representing all private, public, not-forprofit and academic sectors—the PPF
designed this project to bring a wide
variety of voices and opinions to bear
on a single topic: how to optimize
the effectiveness and vitality of an
institution in which all Canadians
have a direct stake.
Underpinning it was a firm belief
that, when properly calibrated and
adequately maintained, the public service
remains governments’ chief instrument for
achieving the most fundamental goals of a
civil society. These include guaranteeing
the rule of law, enabling social inclusion,
advancing prosperity, contributing to a
sustainable environment, safeguarding
national security and enhancing the unity of
the Canadian federation.
It is also, furthermore, Canada’s largest
enterprise with a workforce made up
of over 200 entities employing anywhere
from 250,000 to about 400,000 people
(if, among others, the Canadian Forces
and the RCMP are included). In fact, the
public service is twice the size of the closest
private sector entity generating revenue more
than five times that of the largest corporate
entity. (In 2006, the federal government
collected over $200 billion in taxes, 5.5
times the sales revenue of General Motors
Canada, the private sector leader.)
Given the importance of the public service
to the lives and well-being of Canadians
(either as individuals or communities),
the PPF wanted to assess the impact of a
continued on page 2
VOLUME 1 | SPRING 2008
President’s Note 2 Globalization & Public Policy 3 Flying Loonie 5 Deputy Minister 6 You’re Invited 9
Katherine Baird and Ian Green
manage PPF’s marquee project
PRESIDENT’S NOTE
Welcome to this first edition of the PPF
Forum, our new venture for staying in touch
with you.
Yes, we have a web site, full of information
about what we are doing. And we send out an
e-Forum every month to all of our members.
But we decided we also need to give you a
better ‘feel’ of what we are doing, what we
think is important and what we think you
should know.
2
The PPF is a unique organization of members,
friends, sponsors and supporters, all of whom
endorse our commitment to excellence in
government and the public service. But
despite the fact we live in a multi-platform
world where communication devices are
ubiquitous, we seem to be experiencing the
paradox that there is less public space than
ever for real debate and the discussion of
ideas and different points of view.
That’s a gap the PPF tries to address: We
are committed to creating the space for
thoughful, rigourous, inclusive debate and
discussion.
Inside this first edition, you will read about
our marquee project on the public service
and some of the leaders across the country
we have talked to.
You will also read highlights of some of our
recent projects and events.
And we’ll bring to you a conversation with
Cassie Doyle, Deputy Minister of Natural
Resources Canada and someone with
experience at all three levels of government.
Jack Manion, a distinguished former public
servant and deputy minister, once said we
mustn’t confuse neutrality with anonymity
when it comes to the public service. It is
interviews such as this one where we hope to
bring to life some of the talented leaders in
the public service.
Enjoy the read and let us know what you think.
Jodi White
President
VOLUME 1 | SPRING 2008
variety of changes on the way such a
complex organization delivers on its
mandate—as well as the ways it is
responding to those changes and the
corresponding challenges. Among these
are demographic turnover, technological
advances, increasing transparency and
scrutiny and the growing interconnectedness of people, ideas and issues.
To support this inquiry, Ian Green
(see profile on page 3) and Katherine
Baird—both veteran public servants
with a passionate belief in the need
for a vibrant public sector—used a
multi-faceted approach to research and
analysis. In addition to their impressive
collective personal experience, they
turned to PPF staff members with public
service experience, its diverse public and
private sector membership and an active
and knowledgeable Board of Directors
and Advisory Panel.
Canada’s Public Service
in the 21st Century
The report’s authors—and their
relentless research staff—gathered data
on jurisdictional comparisons, public and
public sector workforce attitudes as well
as historical information about previous
reforms. They also hit the road to meet
with business and government leaders,
decision-makers, potential public service
recruits, students, and managers
about public service challenges and
opportunities.
A parallel, national roundtable process
was the basis for a report entitled
“A Vital National Institution: What a
Cross-Section of Canadians Think about
Canada’s Public Service”. Ian and
Katherine also conducted a series of
interviews with 50 prominent Canadians,
canvassing them on key leadership
issues. That too resulted in a report,
“Leading by Example.” A series of further
roundtable discussions with twenty-five
private sector CEOs, including a Calgary
event hosted by Encana’s Gerald Protti,
a Montreal gathering hosted by Jacques
Lamarre of SNC-Lavalin and a Toronto
event hosted by TD Bank chairman
Ed Clark (see cover photo), also provided
crucial input.
As part of the same initiative, the PPF
created a number of other opportunities
for members to hear from leading-edge
practitioners, academics, and thinkers
who had a great deal to contribute on
the topic of current and emerging public
sector issues. And if that wasn’t enough,
the PPF research team explored key
lines of inquiry and produced a number
of original research pieces on public
service reform efforts, risk management,
hyper-mobility or “churn” of senior public
servants (in particular, deputy ministers)
and the impact of globalization on
government and public service.
These combined efforts have led to
the final report which underscores
the importance of a healthy, engaged
public service and analyzes the current
organization against a backdrop of
existing and emerging trends and
challenges. It includes a diagnosis of
some of the key challenges facing the
public service as well as prescriptions
for what is required to address them in
the context of leadership, accountability
and organizational culture.
Not to give away the cliff-hanger con­
clusions, but Canada’s Public Service
in the 21st Century—which will be
released in late April—ends with a set of
recommendations that, taken together,
should help inform interested Canadians
and concerned decision-makers as to
how the public service could build on
past and current efforts to move forward
in a modern and effective way.
GLOBALIZATION
AND PUBLIC POLICY
“There are demographic changes which lead
to issues of leadership and succession, issues
of transparency and accountability as well as
the public trust in the public service and the
political system.”
That conviction made him especially
vulnerable when PPF president, Jodi
White, approached him about taking on
a long-term project on the renewal of
Canada’s public service.
Ian Green: no greener pastures
for this former Deputy Minister
GREENER PASTURES
As a former Deputy Minister for Health
Canada, Ian Green knows a thing or two
about the subject of health.
But it wasn’t until a year after his retirement in 2005, that he realized that he
actually had public service in his blood.
“I served under six prime ministers,
17 ministers in five departments.
After a 30-year career, I’d developed
a deep emotional and intellectual
connection with the public service,” he
says. “It was still in my blood after all
that time—I believed it’s something
that really matters.”
“After I retired I took off a year and kept
a promise to my wife that we’d do things
like go to Italy for an extended period,”
he recounts. “Then, I taught a course
at Queen’s University in governance and
accountability. I was still questioning
how to balance those interests with
retirement when Jodi—who’s been a
friend for years—invited me to lunch.”
state, he says he’d identified a series
of trends that were presenting profound
challenges to the status quo.
“There are demographic changes
which lead to issues of leadership and
succession, issues of transparency and
accountability as well as the public trust
in the public service and the political
system,” he notes.
But perhaps the most pressing of all is
the need to address an unprecedented
degree of “interconnectivity”—something
Ian became acutely aware of during his
tenure at the helm of Health Canada.
The SARS epidemic was a real wake-up call:
a sneeze in an elevator in Hong Kong meant
a health care crisis half a world away
Ian admits it didn’t take him long to
become fully engaged in her project idea.
Based on his belief that the public
service is an integral part of any society
that cares about inclusion, prosperity,
rule of law and managing a federal
“Globalization really underscores the
need to connect people and ideas in
new ways and in more ways than ever
before,” he says. “The SARS epidemic
was a real wake-up call: a sneeze in
an elevator in Hong Kong meant a
health care crisis half a world away and
continued on page 4
PUBLIC POLICY FORUM | ppforum.ca
3
IN THE NEWS
continued from page 3
80 percent of the tourism business in
Toronto was gone in three months.”
As a result, Ian says policy will become
increasingly complex and the public
service will have to be in fighting form
to use networks that never existed
before—or to create them.
“Increasingly the question is what
organizations will succeed going
forward in this environment and what
organizational culture is required to
make that happen,” he says.
“For example, with a rules and processbased accountability model that
reflects a low level of trust, it
fosters a public service that turns
inward and focuses on compliance.
If it’s inward and less responsive, it’s
less relevant to Canadians. That’s a
huge issue in future.”
4
Because he is convinced that any
discussion about the future of the
public service had to be as broad as
possible, Ian says he was drawn to
the PPF’s track record for connecting
stakeholders from various sectors and
helping them to clarify—or refine—their
positions on current policy issues.
And 18 months later, what has he taken
away from discussions with a wide range
of private sector representatives?
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the
degree of interest in the public service
project. It’s been a useful reminder
of how big and complex the relationship is.”
Which probably smeans his postretirement re-invention will involve
considerably more than travel and golf.
“I may throttle back, but I’m going
to stay involved. These issues aren’t
going to go away.”
VOLUME 1 | SPRING 2008
Marie Bernard-Meunier
Public Policy Forum Board Member
Marie Bernard-Meunier was Canada’s
Ambassador to Germany from 2000 to
2004, our Ambassador to the Netherlands
from 1996 to 2000 and before that,
Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent
Representative to UNESCO. She is a
frequent contributor to Policy Options and
La Presse. The article below appeared in
La Presse on February 25, 2008.
L’arrogance de l’Occident
De Marie Bernard-Meunier
En vérité, l’arrogance de l’Occident n’est
tout de même plus ce qu’elle était. Elle
ne parvient plus, en tout cas, à masquer
les doutes qui l’habitent. Il est contraint
de reconnaître qu’au chapitre des guerres
de religion, des conflits sanglants et des
génocides, il traîne lui-même un lourd
passé. Il doit aussi se rendre à l’évidence
que ses interventions plus récentes dans
les affaires du monde sont loin d’avoir été
toujours bénéfiques ou même en accord
avec les beaux et grands principes dont
il se réclame.
Entre un pouvoir économique qui lui
échappe et une supériorité militaire qui
ne suffit plus à lui assurer une position
dominante, l’Occident ne peut que constater
l’érosion de son influence. Pire, il découvre
la profondeur du ressentiment qu’il génère.
Sur tous les continents, son “modèle”
est ouvertement, et souvent violemment,
contesté. On le soupçonne, on l’accuse
même, de vouloir utiliser la promotion de
la liberté et de la démocratie pour venir
saper les fondements des sociétés et des
nations en s’attaquant à leurs religions ou à
leurs traditions.
(Article paru dans La Presse, le 25 février 2008)
CRISE DE COURTE DURÉE
L’arrogance de l’Occident a bel et bien
existé et existe toujours. L’âge d’or, si
l’on peut dire, de l’arrogance occidentale
va de l’époque des grandes conquêtes à
celle de l’expansion coloniale. Au nom
d’une mission “civilisatrice”, l’Occident
a décimé des populations, éradiqué des
cultures et exploité à son profit toutes
les ressources. Cette époque est révolue,
mais l’arrogance de l’Occident a continué
à se manifester sous d’autres formes. Sa
prospérité économique, ses avancées
scientifiques et même l’oeuvre de ses
philosophes ou de ses musiciens ont
souvent été présentées comme autant de
preuves de sa supériorité.
Face à cette nouvelle réalité, certains se
Aujourd’hui, l’arrogance de l’Occident
s’exprime encore dans son discours sur les
valeurs universelles. On la retrouve aussi
dans sa vision de l’avenir des sociétés
qui seraient toutes appelées à connaître
une évolution semblable à celle des pays
occidentaux et donc à passer, elles aussi,
du Moyen-Âge à l’époque des Lumières !
réfugient dans le déni. Ils croient que la
crise sera de courte durée : le fanatisme
religieux n’aura qu’un temps, des pays
comme la Chine seront rattrapés par leurs
problèmes sociaux ou environnementaux,
les États-Unis sauront rebondir et la
résilience de l’Occident en surprendra
plus d’un. Il y a aussi ceux qui se
préparent à une guerre des civilisations
et qui sont convaincus de l’importance
de ne pas affronter l’ennemi en position
de faiblesse. Il faut donc résister aux
tentatives de culpabilisation de l’Occident
et s’abstenir surtout de toute démarche de
repentance. Il y a enfin ceux qui voudraient
simplement que l’Occident se replie sur
ses terres et cesse de vouloir influencer le
cours des affaires du monde.
Tous ces discours sont aussi excessifs
que dangereux. La fin de l’hégémonie
occidentale, à terme, est inéluctable.
Aucune civilisation n’a su ou n’a pu
maintenir indéfiniment sa domination.
Quant à la guerre des civilisations, il faut
surtout s’employer à la désamorcer si on
ne veut pas faire le jeu des extrémistes
de tous bords et un peu de repentance,
ma foi, permettrait peut-être à l’Occident
de regagner un peu de cette crédibilité
et de cette légitimité qui lui font défaut.
Enfin, l’Occident ne peut pas s’extraire
du monde. Il doit occuper la place qui
est la sienne et assumer le rôle qui est
le sien.
bonne gouvernance. En réalité, on cherche
encore et toujours la bonne formule. Il en
va de même pour la résolution des conflits
et pour les projets de reconstruction. On
sent bien que, dans toutes ces situations,
il est nécessaire d’utiliser un savant
mélange de diplomatie, de développement
et de moyens militaires, mais on sait
moins bien trouver, dans chaque cas, le
bon dosage.
Depuis un demi-siècle, les pays occi­
dentaux essaient de faire de l’aide au
développement. Ils y ont investi des
efforts et des sommes considérables pour
des résultats souvent décevants, surtout
en Afrique. Ils ont cru devoir privilégier la
construction d’infrastructures, puis plutôt
l’éducation et la santé avant d’en venir à la
Quoi qu’ils fassent, les Occidentaux
resteront vulnérables à la critique. On leur
reprochera toujours d’en faire trop ou de
ne pas en faire assez. On leur prêtera,
parfois avec raison, des arrière-pensées
politiques ou économiques. On montrera
du doigt les travers et les injustices
de leurs propres sociétés. Doivent-
Down-to-earth talk about
our high flying loonie
Among the top-notch panelists who stirred
a lively debate among participants were:
Serge Coulombe
Professor, University of Ottawa
Lawrence Schembri
Chief, International Department,
Bank of Canada
Craig Wright
Chief Economist, RBC
Ron Parker
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister,
Industry Canada
Peter Hall
Chief Economist,
Export Development Canada
Avrim Lazar
President, Forest Products
Association of Canada
Jim Stanford
Chief Economist,
Canadian Autoworkers Union
David Ramsay
MPP and Parliamentary Assistant
to the Premier of Ontario
Joe Chidley
Editor, Canadian Business
ils attendre d’être irréprochables pour
s’impliquer? Doivent-ils être assurés de
réussir avant d’entreprendre? Ils ne seront
sans doute pas toujours à la hauteur de ce
qu’ils préconisent, mais ils auront parfois
le mérite d’essayer, comme ils le font
actuellement en Haïti ou en Afghanistan.
Il faut seulement espérer que l’Occident
ait la sagesse de ne pas faire de la
promotion de ses valeurs son fer de lance.
Il doit plutôt chercher à comprendre que,
pour ceux qui n’en ont pas, l’accès à l’eau
potable est plus important que l’exercice
du droit de vote, que la sécurité, quand
on est menacé, est plus importante que
la liberté et que l’injustice, lorsqu’elle
est vécue au quotidien, rend sourd aux
propos sur la démocratie.
FORUM EVENTS
On January 30, the PPF took its show
on the road with a one-day conference in
Toronto on the Canadian dollar and the
implications of its recent rise.
PPF president, Jodi White, kicked off
the session and Michael Murphy of the
Canadian Chamber of Commerce provided
food for thought during the luncheon.
The conference concluded
with five key findings:
1. Increase in global demand for com­
modities and energy—especially in the
rapidly emerging nations like China
and India—is the primary cause for the
dollar’s rapid rise, rather than just the
loon’s appreciation against the flagging
U.S. dollar.
3. G
overnment intervention is imperative
to curb the current negative impact of
a strong dollar—and to prevent future
economic shocks. Given that capital markets haven’t provided any buffer, fed­eral
and provincial governments need to
develop and implement policies to cushion
businesses from the currency crunch.
4. T
he Canadian dollar may drift away
from parity, but will remain high for the
foreseeable future.
5. W
hile panelists rejected the notion of
direct, sectoral bailouts, they did support
fiscal measures to reduce the tax burden
(especially for the manufacturing sector)
as well as greater policy emphasis on
productivity improvement.
2. Increase in investment and productivity
is necessary to mitigate growing
regional disparities between resourcerich provinces and those focused on
manufacturing.
Marcel Cote
Partner, SECOR Consulting
More information and copies of presentations are available at:
ppforum.ca/en/speeches
PUBLIC POLICY FORUM | ppforum.ca
5
DEPUTY MINISTER PROFILE:
6
comfortable sitting at the table as one of
11 people,” says Ms. Doyle. “I like to build
teams and then watch them hum.”
“From municipal government
I got a really hardcore,
pragmatic focus on
deliverables—a real
let’s roll-up-our-sleeves-andget-it-done approach”
Cassie Doyle, Deputy Minister,
Department of Natural Resources
Executive Profile
The one really important thing to
know about the deputy minister in the
Department of Natural Resources:
Cassie Doyle is one of nine children.
“I guess I’ve always just felt the most
VOLUME 1 | SPRING 2008
That emphasis on collaboration—something she honed with an undergrad
degree in sociology and a masters degree
in social work from Carleton University—
has been a defining part of Ms. Doyle’s
management style since she returned to
Ottawa in 2002 from British Columbia.
There, she served as a deputy minister in the provincial government and
then as CEO of British Columbia Assets
and Land Corporation, a commercial
Crown corporation.
“I was really attracted back here by
the opportunity to create conditions for
meaningful work to be done,” she notes.
“And I especially love dealing with the
young public servants who are so smart
and so passionate about what they do.”
Since joining NRCAN in 2006 from
Environment Canada, she says she has
focused on obliterating the silos between
science and policy within NRCAN.
Ms. Doyle was also instrumental in
creating the Deputy Ministers Committee
on Major Project Management, that
centralizes the environmental approval and
other federal regulatory requirements in a
single project agreement for such major
initiatives as mines, pipelines, transmission
lines and oil sands development.
“The creation of the Committee
is something that comes from my
provincial government experience where
DM oversight of projects is more direct,”
she says.
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE?
“The heightened attention that’s now being
paid to the environment is exciting—it means
one of our big issues has increased profile on
the public agenda.”
CASSIE DOYLE, NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA
But that’s not the only thing she brings
from a career that includes a decade
working in municipal government for
the City of Ottawa.
“With the provincial piece in my career,
I think I’ve got a better understanding
for how this country works and
how the provinces tick,” she says.
“From municipal government I got a
really hardcore pragmatic focus on
deliverables—a real let’s-roll-up-ourshirtsleeves-and-get-it-done approach.”
Ms. Doyle adds that “As you move from
municipal to federal government, the
focus on big, long-term strategic policy
issues is more acute.” Her challenge?
To apply some of that result-oriented
municipal approach—“where you have
an immediate, daily impact on people’s
lives”—to the broader federal policy field.
That’s an insight worth noting given her
enthusiasm for the challenges presented
by the environmental files within the
NRCAN portfolio.
“The heightened attention that’s
now being paid to the environment
is exciting—it means one of our big
issues has increased profile on the
public agenda. And that in turn puts
more onus on us to integrate science
and policy, to re-think the way we look
at natural resources in Canada.”
So what does the DM of NRCAN like
most about her job?
“I like seeing things move, I like a sense
of contributing to a bigger agenda.
And I like working in the context of
relationships.”
Which means there’s now room around
Cassie Doyle’s table for more than 11.
A public service
career that spans
three levels of
government has
shaped the way
Cassie Doyle
approaches the
management of
a challenging
portfolio. Eight
brothers and sisters
didn’t hurt either.
PUBLIC POLICY FORUM | ppforum.ca
7
Can the Conservatives Win Again?
Jim Armour, Jodi White, Michael Robinson and Michele Austin
lead discussion about the next federal election
8
The big question facing politicos
in Ottawa is who will win the next
election. Some pundits have warned
that the Conservative Party is not yet in
majority territory and would be foolish
to force a federal election. Others have
countered that Stephen Harper can
easily outmaneuver Stephane Dion on
the campaign trail, and the Conservative
political machine is ready to deliver
a majority.
other participants rallied to discuss the
attributes of a good leader, how that leader
will communicate with the electorate and
what policies will be debated during the
next election. While all three agreed
that leadership will be key, the main
focus of discussion was who can best
communicate to the electorate, and
whether or not just being a good leader
will be enough to sway voters to give one
party a majority.
Participants at the February 28 Public
Policy Forum Event, Ladies and
Gentlemen, Start your Engines, heard
from Liberal strategist Michael Robinson
and former Conservative staffers, Jim
Armour and Michele Austin (now Vice
President of PPF).
Questions from the floor set the stage
for an informal event. What role does
time play in election planning? asked
one participant. Is time the friend of
Stephen Harper? Conservatives said
that the longer Mr. Harper is in office
the more comfortable Canadians will
become with him. Liberals say time is
their friend in that the longer Mr. Harper
is in office, the more likely Canadians
will be exposed to the darker, controlling
side of his character.
Tom Flanagan was scheduled to be the
featured speaker at the breakfast but
due to an unfortunate series of events
was unable to appear. In his absence, the
National Business
Association Roundtable
Membership in the National Business
Association Roundtable (NBAR) is about
much more than great sandwiches: it’s
an opportunity for the top executive
of industry associations to gather and
discuss the business and political issues
at the top of the agenda for their sector.
On February 11, the NBAR group had an
interactive session with leading pollster
Nik Nanos of Nanos Research. With
election buzz thick in the air, Mr. Nanos
ran through various potential outcomes
based on his most recent polling data.
He argued the view that the Tories were in
a fragile position and, despite disarray in
Liberal ranks, were vulnerable. Mr. Nanos
also analyzed the fact that female voters
continue to be unmoved by the Mr. Harper
as a leader—a group that represents a
significant chunk of the electorate.
Following the presentation and discussion
with Mr. Nanos, the group broke
off into an informal review of the
relative performance of their industries
in light of recent concerns about the
Canadian economy.
The consensus was that overall, there was
little evidence to suggest a slowdown in
either demand or production—although
a shortage of skilled labor was a common
concern.
The sandwiches, as always, were excellent.
Micheal Robinson
VOLUME 1 | SPRING 2008
YOU’RE INVITED
BETWEEN THE COVERS:
A WONKALICIOUS READING LIST
Assuming you have time to read, here is a list of titles
identified by PPF staff as good reads:
John A.: The Man Who Made Us by Richard J. Gwyn
Brian Mulroney Memoirs 1939-1993
by The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney
My Years as Prime Minister
by The Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien
Hot Air: Meeting Canada’s Climate Change Challenge
by Jeffrey Simpson
An Insider’s Guide to the PP
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Sorry, I Don’t Speak French: Confronting The Canadian
Crisis That Won’t Go Away by Graham Fraser
Wikinomics by Don Tapscott
Right Side Up: The Fall of Paul Martin and the Rise of
Stephen Harper’s New Conservatism by Paul Wells
French Kiss: Stephen Harper’s Blind Date with Quebec
by Chantal Hébert
The Washington Diaries by Allan Gotlieb
Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson
by Andrea Mandel-Campbell
The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through
Integrative Thinking by Roger L. Martin
Unlikely Utopia: the Surprising Triumph of Canadian
Pluralism by Michael Adams
The New Retirement by Sherry Cooper
Creating a World Without Poverty by Muhammad Yunus
Homelessness: How to End the National Crisis, with Jack
Layton, and special guests MP Peggy Nash, MP Tony Martin,
Michael Shapcott and Cathy Crowe
TA L K I N G T HE TAL K
Gleaned from websites, newspaper articles, and—we’ll admit it—a few PPF
reports, here are some buzzwords to fit into your meeting small talk to make
you sound really savvy:
Lens (n):
No, not for a Nikon. Think filter or point of view.
Use with terms like “gender” and “intergenerational”.
Unpack (v):
No, not your suitcase. Retrieve elements from. “When you unpack
the policy you see that there are three principle motivators.”
Web-of-rules (n):
Too-many-to-count number of rules. Like spider webs,
can be sticky and irritating.
Single-window (adj):
Not a gloomy house. Efficient access to grouped services.
Sea change (n):
Not what happens when you pass Cape Horn. Big time transformation.
CLICK THIS
On hold? On an interminable conference call?
Click here and have some fun. PPF staff choices
for fun and frivolous websites and blogs:
salon.com
mls.ca
gofugyourself.com
macleans.ca/paulwells
bourque.org
facebook.com
ballofdirt.com
radio-canada.ca/news
cbc.ca/news
cnn.com
bbc.co.uk
Public engagement (n):
Involves no diamond rings or expressions of love. Getting people involved.
Front-burner (adj):
Urgent, (and may get you burned).
Watch-dogs (n):
Can have more bite than bark. Refers to growing number
of authorities who make sure we do our jobs right.
Top flight (adj):
Not business class. Really good.
PUBLIC POLICY FORUM | ppforum.ca
9
!
w
e
n
PPF launches the Crossing
Boundaries Governance Program
Public policy issues today are often
complex, cut across many aspects of life
and affect a wide range of actors within
our society. Governments are increasingly
ill-equipped to address these issues on
their own. Citizens, stakeholders and
communities also have a role to play.
Over the course of a decade, the
original Crossing Boundaries project
addressed these issues leading to the
development of a new model of public
engagement. The model consists of
a robust yet simple framework that
allows governments to determine when
engagement is necessary, who needs to
be involved, and what kind of process is
needed to achieve the goals.
Responding to this, the Public Policy
Forum has now created the Crossing
Boundaries Governance Program to
help governments deal more effectively
with change and complexity through a
new model of public engagement. The
program serves four purposes:
• it acts as a champion for the new
approach;
• it provides advice and assistance to
public servants and elected officials
experimenting with the public engage­
ment model or building the capacity and
leadership needed to adopt it;
New Brunswick
is putting a new
model to the test
10
In addition, over the last six months the
Public Policy Forum engaged hundreds
of federal and provincial public servants
across the country in a series of workshops
that explained the model and gathered
valuable input. Participants were nearunanimous in their support for a new way
to engage the public.
• it is a centre of expertise for innovative
approaches to governance; and
For the past year, the government of
New Brunswick, through five pilot
projects, has been testing the real-world
applicability of this new model. A final
report on these pilot projects will be
released in mid-April and its findings
will be discussed by Canada’s policy
community at a national conference in
Fredericton on May 12 and 13.
• it is building a network of interested
individuals and organizations seeking
to share knowledge and experience on
governance issues, especially public
engagement.
For more information on the program
or to download a copy of the final report
on New Brunswick’s Public Engagement
Initiative.
Please visit: crossingboundaries.ca
Dr. Don Lenihan
PPF Associate and Public Engagement
Advisor for the Government of New
Brunswick
Don founded the original Crossing
Boundaries program over ten years ago
and is the principal architect behind the
new model of public engagement. In
VOLUME 1 | SPRING 2008
his role as advisor, he has for the past
year overseen the five pilot projects in
New Brunswick. He will be joining the
PPF full-time to lead the new Crossing
Boundaries Governance Program.
Mark your calendars!
UPCOMING PPF EVENTS
CGA-Canada and PPF Skills
and Learning Roundtable
April 11, 2008 (Toronto)
One of eight national roundtable discussions
on the state and the future direction of skills
training and learning in Canada.
The Walrus is Coming to Town
April 23, 2008 (Ottawa)
War and Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First
Century: Does Canada Have What it Needs?
Learning from New Brunswick:
The Public Engagement Initiative
May 12, 2008 to May 13, 2008 (Fredericton)
Discuss the findings of New Brunswick’s
Public Engagement Initiative (PEI) and mark
the launch of the Public Policy Forum’s
Crossing Boundaries Governance Program.
Canada and The European Union:
Prospects for a Closer Economic Partnership
May 14, 2008 to May 15, 2008 (Ottawa)
A conference to discuss the prospects for
pursuing a closer economic partnership
between Canada and the European Union (EU).
CGA-Canada and PPF National
Skills and Learning Summit
May 28, 2008 (Ottawa)
Annual Gordon Osbaldeston Lecture
November 18, 2008 (Ottawa)
The 2008 lecture will feature a high-profile
speaker who will offer ideas about how
to ensure that Canada has an effective
and relevant public service well into the
twenty-first century.
EVENT INFORMATION CONTACT:
[email protected]
613.238.7160
PPF PUBLICATIONS
Canada’s Public Service in the 21st Century
Ian Green and Katherine Baird. April 2008
Implications for Canada of a High-valued Canadian Dollar
Vinod Rajasekaran and Yves Poisson. January 2008
Improving Bridging Programs
David Duncan, Yves Poisson and Winnie Wong. January 2008
The Web of Rules: A Study of the Relationship Between Regulation of Public
Servants and Past Public Service Reform Initiatives
Geneviève Lépine. November 2007
Government and Globalization: What Kind of Public Service Does Canada
Need in Order to Thrive in the Knowledge Economy
Michael Lister. November 2007
Risky Business: Managing Risk in the Public Service of Canada
John Macaulay. November 2007
Is Deputy “Churn” Myth or Reality?
André Côté. November 2007
Membership info
Membership accounts for more than 40% of PPF’s operating
revenues and allows us to hire student interns, stage events and
pursue research projects like the Public Service Renewal Paper.
Currently the PPF has 165 members from the public, private
and not-for-profit sectors. The PPF would like to welcome
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and Justice Canada
as new members.
PUBLIC POLICY FORUM | ppforum.ca
11
Mission Statement
The Public Policy Forum engages
leaders from all sectors across
Canada in informed and constructive
dialogue in support of excellence
in the public service, democratic
institutions and public policy. The
PPF encourages civic mindedness,
innovative public policy options, and
constructive outcomes that impact
on decision-making.
Public Policy Forum
1405-130 Albert Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4
613.238.7160
www.ppforum.ca
This publication is printed on
recycled paper.