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Commentary

by David Zusman


Public service renewal has become a major priority of the federal government and many provincial governments. The interest in renewal is driven by a number of diverse but converging factors:
· Canadians expect increasingly higher levels of service from their governments and greater transparency. Consequently, the skills that are required to be an effective public servant have changed to respond to these new circumstances.
· To compound the renewal ch...

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ON THE COVER:

Municipal governments deal with an increasingly broad range of issues and services — but they face constraints on funding and flexibility. Toronto's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Shirley Hoy, discusses the challenges that her city faces.

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The Buck Stops Here
Nathan Mallett
Local government is more important than ever before. That, according to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the newly-amalgamated City of Toronto, Shirley Hoy. With federal funding slowing to a trickle and provincial downloading on the rise, Toronto's local government is more relevant than ever. But with this new status comes awesome fiscal responsibilities that even seasoned city planners hadn't anticipated, Ms. Hoy, talks about the new and larger role for local government. Full Story >>
Excelling in Uncertainty
William John Mills
The Japanese Supreme Court held a company "responsible for an employee's suicide brought on by overwork" and it ordered it to pay compensation to a deceased employee's family. Could this kind of situation happen in Canada? A 1997 health-status study showed that 38 percent of the federal Public Service suffered from distress. A 2002 report shows levels in excess of that, with Public Service executives suffering twice the levels of stress and depression of the overall Canadian population.
Governance Innovations
Art Daniels
In 1997, the Ontario Public Service began a transformational journey focused on becoming a more customer-centred organization, ensuring quality service, focusing on core businesses and becoming more integrated, flexible and results-oriented. Ontario has been awarded the gold CAPAM Award by creating new ways of connecting, by breaking down barriers between traditional hierarchical ministry structures, and by delivering routine public services through multiple channels to meet customer needs.
Strategic Sourcing for Diversity and Inclusion
Brian Rogers
The federal government is now facing the dilemma of trying to recruit visible minorities in ratios that mirror the general population, but those ratios are quickly rising.
Managing the Threat Environment
Dietlind Gardell and Ron St.John
The latest international terrorism-related events and the escalating Middle-East tensions involving Canada have forced us to rethink our outlook on health emergency planning and response. Few government departments can escape the new reality of mandatory preparedness for potential acts planned and carried out with malicious intent to indiscriminately inflict the greatest possible damage. Health and safety issues are on everyone's mind, and government executives notice the increased workload that directly or indirectly relates to the threats of biological, chemical, and radio-nuclear terrorism. Full Story >>
Managing the Government's Money
Lysanne Gauvin
Every time they make a payment to the federal government and every time they receive a payment from the federal government, Canadians are dealing with the Receiver General, which tracks and handles the government's flow of funds and maintains the Public Accounts of Canada. If all works well, the Receiver General typically goes unnoticed, functioning quietly in the background. It is a measure of success that its role has largely gone unnoticed in recent years.
Knowledge Management (Part I): Using Strategy to Focus Results
Melanie Macdonald and George Macdonald
Energies and resources of many organizations seem to be focused on achieving knowledge management itself, rather than using knowledge management to achieve key results. This article, the first of a series of three, is intended to help leaders use strategy to focus the results of their knowledge management efforts. Full Story >>
Government of Ontario: Re-inventing Service Delivery
Paavo KivistoI
Integrated service delivery is government re-inventing itself  a profound and revolutionary transformation in how government does its business with the public. In providing around-the-clock access through electronic channels and in developing multi-channel contact centres (where customers can phone, fax, e-mail or talk to a live agent, walk up to a government counter, and receive a variety of services), the face of government is transformed.
Buckley's - or Bordeaux?
Paul Crookall
We've been hearing a lot about "Modern Comptrollership," the federal public service's continuing emphasis on integrating key management initiatives. This contrasts with what we have sometimes seen  initiatives that are championed for a while, then ignored and left to survive on their own, or wither. Ivan Blake gives us a progress report in an exclusive interview.