On Friday, October 5th, Government of Canada officials will host two media technical briefings related to the legalization of cannabis. The briefings will be for background information only and are not for attribution.
Today’s award is the preeminent recognition of exceptional work in the Public Service of Canada. That makes it pretty special, because, as you know, the Public Service of Canada is an exceptional public service by any number of measures.
We only have to look at what is happening around the world to have hope on the road ahead. In corporate offices, in schools, in courts, in legislatures – our work and our stories are changing the world for the better. When we imagine a more loving world for us, when we assert our dignity against all risks, we move mountains.
We have much to be proud of and many successes to build on. In 2017, Canada’s Public Service was ranked as the most effective public service in the world.
I want to thank you for where you have come from and what you have done. I want to challenge you to continue that legacy into the future, to always pursue excellence in your analysis, evidence in your advice, to challenge your own assumptions about the way the world works or what is going on out there. You have specialized expertise in some areas that nobody else in town has, and you have partners all around the public service that have deep expertise and networks and connections. Learning how to collaborate with other organizations and teams is the secret sauce of public service these days.
The Public Service Commission is an important institution and so is your mission statement. I think you may pass over it probably a little too quickly: promoting and safeguarding a non-partisan, merit-based and representative public service that serves all Canadians. That is something we have tried to do generation after generation, government after government as things have changed. We helped shape the country but in many ways, the country shapes us too.
I now think of the public service very much as a community of communities and not so much about the 300 organizations and their organizational charts. Today’s public service is about the 260,000 men and women that come to work every day, driven by values and commitment to serve their country. How do we work together? You decide. Create a community and talk to each other, generate ideas. All over the public service now, people are speaking up and finding communities. I am here to encourage that.