Report on values, ethics in public service lacks viewpoint: professional

Article content material

Whereas a brand new report on values and ethics throughout the federal public service highlights a necessity for extra instruments and coaching on the issues, one professional says the doc “oddly lacked a viewpoint or place or a stance on something.”

The “Deputy Ministers’ Process Workforce on Values and Ethics Report” ready for the Clerk of the Privy Council was printed in late December with 15 suggestions. Its authors embody members of a job pressure assembled by Clerk John Hannaford a couple of months after he took on the senior bureaucrat function in June.

Article content material

Article content material

Key points highlighted within the report embody the necessity to proceed to construct a extra various and inclusive public service, and to think about challenges created by social media and AI, in addition to the decision for extra instruments and coaching on values and ethics.

It additionally recommends that deputy ministers “proceed the dialogue on values and ethics of their departments and companies.” It didn’t, nonetheless, suggest a selected course of be adopted.

Providing the primary main values and ethics overview for the reason that “A Robust Basis” report was launched by John Tait nearly 30 years in the past, the doc drew from over 90 conversations that occurred with public servants and exterior stakeholders all through the autumn.

A few of these members additionally expressed issues a couple of “double normal” between senior management and staff round compliance and enforcement of the 2003 Values and Ethics Code, and about their capacity to “preserve political neutrality when coping with political workers in a minister’s workplace.”

“There was robust settlement that public servants should preserve their independence and credibility, which requires non-partisanship and resistance to exterior strain,” the report mentioned. “Hanging a steadiness between political neutrality and offering professional recommendation, in addition to the trustworthy implementation and supply of packages and insurance policies, might be difficult.”

Article content material

Different suggestions from the report embody that “broad-based work be accomplished to reinvigorate coaching and dialogue on values and ethics for workers all through their public service careers” and that “central companies replace steering for social media use as required.”

Michael Wernick, a former Clerk of the Privy Council, mentioned that whereas the doc was a “respectable session ‘what we heard’ report,” it left him asking “what now?”

“It’s oddly missing a viewpoint or place or a stance on something. It form of simply sends the ball again to the Clerk and the Secretary of the Treasury Board and says we actually ought to have coverage on acceptable use of social media, however there’s no recommendation on what that coverage ought to appear like,” Wernick mentioned.

“It identifies an issue with the incursions of political workers, however there’s no recommendation on what to do about it. So it form of left me hanging.”

The report’s authors mentioned the doc is “meant to function a prologue to a broader dialogue on values and ethics within the public service, and we start by sharing what now we have heard, frankly and with out filters.”

Article content material

Pierre-Alain Bujold, spokesperson for the Privy Council Workplace, mentioned the Clerk is taking time to mirror on the report’s observations and proposals and think about the very best choices for subsequent steps. He mentioned the report will inform the “subsequent section,” together with the best way to broaden the dialogue on values and ethics.

When Hannaford created the group of senior officers tasked with discussing values and ethics throughout the public service, he mentioned he anticipated to see a “milestone report” by the top of the yr.

Wernick mentioned he agrees with the report’s name for extra engagement, including that he’d wish to see the following spherical “drill deeper and be extra pragmatic.” He added that will probably be fascinating to see if Parliament reveals curiosity within the report and if the Home of Commons committee on authorities operations invitations the Clerk to discuss it.

“This appears to be like like an image of how the general public service sees itself,” he mentioned. “I don’t know precisely who they talked to but it surely appears like they talked to plenty of those that have been concerned in variety, fairness points. The report is a bit gentle on issues that voters and taxpayers would most likely be extra thinking about like cash, productiveness, excellence.”

Article content material

Daniel Quan-Watson, a deputy minister for slightly below 15 years earlier than his retirement final yr, mentioned he helps the report’s suggestion for conversations to be furthered “institution-wide” inside federal authorities departments.

“We have to preserve speaking about this as a result of issues are evolving rapidly and in numerous methods and since folks have plenty of questions,” Quan-Watson mentioned, including that conversations will differ considerably from group to group. “I feel that this goes a protracted approach to ensuring that they do this.”

Quan-Watson mentioned it will have been “deeply problematic” for a software on all values and ethics within the public service to have been developed or for any main adjustments to be made to the Values and Ethics Code over a couple of months.

“That may miss 90 per cent of the general public service, I’m undecided that these adjustments are ones that will be that efficient,” Quan-Watson mentioned, including that he hopes public servants be at liberty to boost their questions and issues to managers and senior management. “I feel the wise factor to say is pay attention, listed here are the areas that we checked out, we’re getting constant themes on this, so let’s go see what the broader public service has to say about it.”

Article content material

“That takes time. It makes it stronger and it makes it extremely extra worthwhile when it’s accomplished.”

Jennifer Carr, president of the Skilled Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents greater than 70,000 authorities employees, mentioned she’s involved that the suggestions of the report depart options as much as particular person departments.

“The decentralization of the general public service, it makes it very arduous for us because the unions to supply steering to our members,” Carr mentioned, noting that she would have no less than favored to see particulars on how departments ought to set up insurance policies. “There’s no bigger coverage that must be the overarching one.”

The report didn’t point out a must replace the Values and Ethics Code, final up to date in 2012, or the Open and Accountable Authorities doc, launched in 2015. Wernick mentioned it will be “very, very helpful” for the latter to be reissued, given the development of social media.

“The code is 30 years outdated, I hoped that it will carry it into the twenty first century,” Carr mentioned. “Not restrictively, however no less than give some pointers, as a result of the entire social media factor, in fact, is an enormous, huge a part of the following technology. Public servants want readability.”

Article content material

“It simply retains coming again to taking a look at performative actions and as a substitute of actual change.”

The report discovered that many members “raised the numerous impacts of the proliferation of social media, the emergence of generative AI, and the unfold of misinformation and disinformation.” It additionally notes that some members mentioned serving the federal government can really feel like censorship.

“Whereas these technological and communication traits provide alternatives for presidency engagement, transparency and communication, they’ve additionally raised complicated challenges as regards to sustaining transparency and accountability, in addition to public belief within the integrity of data and establishments,” it states.

The report job pressure was chaired by Catherine Blewett, deputy minister of Financial Improvement and president of the Atlantic Canada Alternatives Company. Different members included deputy minister of Well being Canada Stephen Lucas, deputy minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Christiane Fox and chief of the Communications Safety Institution Caroline Xavier. It additionally included ex-officio member Donnalyn McClymont, the Privy Council Workplace deputy secretary to the cupboard.

Article content material