Thirtieth Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada

A tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

 

In 2022, we marked the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

As Sovereign of Canada for more than 70 years, The Queen was a symbol of strength and determination. A constant and reassuring presence for Canadians, The Queen shared in our country’s moments of great celebration and collective grief.

The Queen’s lifetime of public service and selflessness inspired generations of public servants and Canadians to serve others. Her profound dedication to duty and the values-based leadership she practised are a model for us all.

Public servants join all Canadians in continuing to recognize and celebrate The Queen’s legacy.

We welcome the reign of His Majesty King Charles III and pledge to serve him loyally.

Letter to the Prime Minister

I am pleased to submit to you the Thirtieth Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada, covering the period from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

Canada’s Federal Public Service is one of our country’s great institutions. A trusted, non-partisan and professional public service plays an invaluable role in a healthy democracy. Our Federal Public Service has dependably filled this role, acting as a source of stability while loyally serving governments and Canadians through periods of immense change.

In the 30 years since the Clerk of the Privy Council was officially recognized as the Head of the Public Service, the Public Service, alongside Canadian society, has evolved significantly. Writing this report was an opportunity to pause, look back over the last 30 years of our history as a country and as an institution, and reflect on our future.

We have come a long way.

But this has not been by chance. It is the result of efforts by the hundreds of thousands of individual public servants working in organizations with a wide range of mandates. Who we are, what we do, and the skills, experience and perspectives we bring to our roles are distinct. Our individual contributions are valuable. But our greatest strength is collective – it lies in how we all work together to form an effective public service for Canadians.

And though there has been much change, I am reminded of how much endures. The importance of service excellence, non-partisan advice, investing in our people and continuous improvement, for example, are just as critical now as they were 30 years ago.

This past year saw many remarkable achievements by public servants. At the same time, I know there were moments when the Public Service fell short of Canadians’ expectations on service. In these instances, we faced the situation humbly and adjusted how we did things to improve results. We remain steadfast in our commitment to learn from these experiences and continually improve how we deliver.

While the period covered by this report ended in March 2023, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that many public servants exercised their legal right to strike this spring, the first labour action of that scale in the Federal Public Service since 1991. Now that colleagues are back together, we are focused on our shared commitment to serving with excellence.

As I leave the Public Service, I want to thank you for giving me the honour of serving in this role. Thank you for your confidence in me and in the Public Service.

Thanks to my Public Service colleagues from all levels for their dedication to service and for their commitment to Canada.

I wish you all the very best for the future.

Janice Charette
Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet

Introduction

This is the 30th report to a prime minister about the Public Service. Together, these reports tell the story of a changing Canada and an evolving public service.

It is difficult to truly put into words the magnitude of the transformation we have experienced over the past three decades, but a few important areas of change stand out.

• 

  Those who are or have ever been landed immigrants or permanent residents in Canada make up 23% of the population, the largest portion since Confederation. Immigration is the main driver of population growth in Canada.
  
  Source: Statistics Canada
  Demographic shifts, including growth and increasing diversity in the population, that have changed the face of Canada.
• International leadership as Canada solidified its place as a trusted ally, a reliable trading partner, and a global leader in areas such as security, defence, advancing human rights and democratic values.
• Increasing awareness of climate change and its impacts, and a heightened urgency to address it.
• Technological advancements globally that have transformed our work and lives and that have been successfully embraced by Canada’s research institutes, business community and workforce.
• Economic shifts such as growth in the information and communications technology sector and a transition to a knowledge economy, alongside sustained features of our economy, such as agriculture and resource development, as contributors to growth.
• Shifting expectations for a modern health care system that will meet the needs of a growing and aging Canadian population.
• Deepening commitment to reconciliation and significant steps to advance the inherent right of Indigenous self-determination. Milestones include the signing of 22 modern treaties and self-government agreements since 1993 and the establishment of Nunavut as Canada’s third territory in 1999 as a result of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. In addition, Canadians are increasingly being encouraged to acknowledge Canada’s colonial legacy towards Indigenous peoples, including confronting the tragic history and legacy of residential schools.
• More attention to and understanding of accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion and a growing recognition of the prevalence of racism, discrimination and hate and the need to eliminate them from our society.

These and other changes have shaped us, both as a society and as a public service.

At the same time, much has endured. It is telling that priorities identified in the First Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada in 1992, such as service to Canadians, investing in our people, and continuous improvement, are just as relevant today as they were 30 years ago, although the context in which we operate is markedly different and is rapidly changing.

Context

The Canadian context of the past year continues to be marked by complexity and change.

On the international stage, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over a year ago and the atrocities since committed against Ukrainians continued to shape the global and Canadian context. This year brought urgency to our efforts in areas such as Canadian defence, diplomacy, immigration and human rights in Ukraine and in other parts of the world, such as Sudan and Haiti, where people struggle for freedom and a chance to live in peace.

Meanwhile, Canada has been confronting threats to democracy and serious concerns about election interference at home. The country has been engaging in critical conversations about protecting democracy, keeping intelligence secure, and preserving national security.

Climate change continues to be a cross-cutting challenge. It is profoundly changing how we think about everything from conservation and emergency management to infrastructure and economic growth. Its impacts have been felt in the form of more severe weather events across the country, and there is continued urgency to make progress on reducing emissions and driving clean growth, while we work to mitigate and adapt to changing conditions.

In addition, rapid advancements in emerging technologies and digital transformation are presenting new opportunities and generating tools and solutions for a wide range of domestic and international challenges.

The Canadian and world economies have also been top of mind this year. In 2022, we experienced the country’s largest increase in inflation in 40 years. The increasing price of food in particular had a significant impact on Canadian households, with grocery prices rising at the fastest pace since 1981.¹ Meanwhile, rising shelter costs have been a source of financial strain for many families. This occurred at the same time as other economic factors, including shortages in the labour market. Trade and securing international supply chains also remained crucial, as Canada responded to international demand for resources to support energy and food stability in other countries.

Health care remained top of mind for Canadians this year. While Canada moved away from the emergency response phase of the pandemic, COVID-19 continued to have a significant impact on Canadians and the health care system, with record numbers of COVID-19-related deaths in 2022. Reports of overwhelmed or closed emergency rooms and growing backlogs of important medical procedures and surgeries exposed a health care system under enormous strain.

There was a continued focus on advancing reconciliation. The further findings of unmarked graves at residential schools this year continued to force Canadians to confront historic injustices and ones that exist in our society today.

Driving progress on social justice remained a priority for Canadians as too many Black and racialized people, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, and people from religious minority communities continued to face hate, violence, discrimination and racism in the country and internationally this year.

The Public Service context is similarly complex

The Public Service is responding to the Canadian context while navigating parallel shifts in our institution.

The nature of the policy files we have been tackling within the context noted above requires significant collaboration within the Public Service and with partners. This has often required us to work differently within and across highly structured organizations.

Maintaining trust has always been crucial to our ability to perform our role and achieve results. However, trust in public institutions, including the Public Service, has been threatened as misinformation and disinformation make it more challenging for Canadians to access reliable, factual information.

The Public Order Emergency Commission was put in place to examine the Government’s use of the Emergencies Act in response to the 2022 convoy protests. As it did for all levels of government and law enforcement agencies involved, this brought intense scrutiny on the Federal Public Service’s role and the details of our work, including how we develop advice and provide it to the Government.

The demands on us and the expectations from Canadians have been increasing and changing. In the early period of the pandemic, the Public Service excelled at supporting the needs of Canadians during COVID-19. As pandemic restrictions started to ease across Canada and the globe, we were unable to sustain that high level of performance in all areas. We have been under pressure to rapidly provide robust advice informed by real-time data and information and to deliver services quickly, digitally and transparently.

In parallel, our workforce continued to evolve.

The demographics of the Public Service have changed.

Over the past 30 years, considerable progress has been made on representation in the Public Service. Women now make up more than half of public servants and more than half of all executives. Notably, Canada is the only G20 member that has achieved gender parity in public service executive positions.³ There has been increasing representation of Indigenous employees, Black and other racialized employees, and employees with disabilities, though we know this is not sufficient to reflect the current or future population of Canada.⁴⁵⁶

Employees are rightly demanding the elimination of persistent representation gaps and barriers to advancement, and decisive action to combat racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, ableism, and all forms of hate and discrimination in our institutions.

Internal management issues continue to draw resources and focus from the Public Service. For example, seven years after the launch of Phoenix, pay issues continue to negatively impact our workforce, requiring ongoing efforts to ensure public servants are paid accurately and on time.

Against this backdrop, the Public Service undertook one of the most significant transformations in how we work by adopting a new hybrid work model as pandemic restrictions eased. This was about fostering the team building and collaboration that we need to efficiently and effectively deliver services to Canadians, recognizing that this flexibility is a privilege and it is not available to all public servants because of the nature of their work. Public servants worked together to make this shift a success for the Public Service and Canadians.

Highlights from this year

Public servants were outstanding at carrying out the Government’s agenda in a challenging context. Their service to Canadians is impressive.

 

Every day, I see firsthand public servants’ dedication to public service.

This was on full display this year as public servants continued to support a whole-of-government response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, demonstrating Canada’s continued commitment to Ukraine and to defending peace, democracy and human rights.

• 

  The Canadian Armed Forces transported over nine million pounds of military donations to Ukraine from Canada and on behalf of our allies and partners, in addition to deploying over 300 personnel, combat engineers, and medical staff to further military training and capacity building through Operation UNIFIER.
• Global Affairs Canada reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to human rights by implementing new sanctions against individuals in Russia’s justice and security sectors who are involved in human rights violations against Russian opposition leaders.
• Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada welcomed over 140,000 Ukrainian nationals and their family members under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel, allowing them to find safety in Canada.
• Canada welcomed over 19,000 vulnerable Afghans between April 2022 and March 2023. Despite the significant challenges that remain, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is on track to meet its commitment to bring at least 40,000 Afghans to Canada by the end of 2023.
  Service Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada provided one-time transitional financial support on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for individuals fleeing Ukraine and arriving in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel.
• Global Affairs Canada, the Department of National Defence and the Communications Security Establishment are combatting disinformation and propaganda about the Russian invasion of Ukraine by publishing facts informed by Government of Canada intelligence as well as reporting from credible international sources to counter false claims by the Russian regime.

The Public Service demonstrated a high level of international cooperation across a range of other issues. For example, public servants across departments collaborated this year to develop and release the Indo-Pacific Strategy, a whole-of-government plan for Canada to work with allies and partners to shape the future of the region and defend our values and national interests.

This year brought national security issues to the forefront, with public servants working together across departments to protect our democracy and the safety and security of Canadians.

• The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security at the Communications Security Establishment issued over 700 alerts and advisories to keep Canadians safe from potential cyber threats, vulnerabilities and incidents.
• The Financial Crime Coordination Centre at Public Safety Canada gathered more than 1,000 investigators, prosecutors and other experts from across Canada to strengthen the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime and combat organized financial crimes that threaten the safety, security and quality of life of Canadians.
• In 2022, the Canada Border Services Agency seized 472 g of fentanyl and 1,918 kg of its precursors at the border.
  To combat illicit traffickers of fentanyl, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada provided 77 disclosures of actionable financial intelligence this year to Canada’s municipal, provincial and federal law enforcement agencies.

The Public Service continued to deliver on priorities related to addressing climate change and its impacts this year, collaborating closely with partners in Canada and internationally.

• Environment and Climate Change Canada supported the launch of the Net-Zero Challenge, which calls on Canadian businesses to voluntarily commit to transitioning their facilities and operations so they produce net-zero emissions by 2050. Those that do will be supported and recognized for their efforts.
• Library and Archives Canada opened the first net-zero carbon archival preservation facility in the Americas. Built according to the Greening Government Strategy, the building has a planned service life of 100 years and archival preservation goal of 500 years.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada worked with other departments to host the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which resulted in the landmark Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework that will guide global action on nature through to 2030.

Public servants were prepared to quickly act this year to manage climate change’s impacts in the form of severe weather.

• In the face of a dangerous derecho storm with destructive winds threatening Ontario and Quebec in May 2022, public servants at Environment and Climate Change Canada issued the first severe thunderstorm alert ever to be disseminated via the National Public Alerting System. The alert warned Canadians to take shelter before the storm hit.
• Public Safety Canada’s Government Operations Centre managed requests from provinces and territories for federal assistance when severe weather struck, such as when Hurricane Fiona hit Atlantic provinces in the fall.
• Indigenous Services Canada worked with Indigenous partners and the province of Ontario to develop a new Joint Command Governance Model before the 2022 wildfire and flood season. The aim was to streamline the emergency response for First Nations requesting assistance.

Public servants advanced efforts that have contributed to innovation across the country.

• Natural Resources Canada supported the development and early implementation of the Critical Minerals Strategy, with the goal of increasing the supply of responsibly sourced critical minerals that will be used for in-demand products like electric vehicles and supporting clean technology supply chains.
• The National Research Council of Canada’s Aerospace Research Centre became a pioneer in the development of integrated reality for helicopter ship landing, a technology that takes elements from the real world and integrates them into a virtual environment. The goal of this project is to significantly decrease the costs and lower the risks of flight testing for the Department of National Defence, while giving researchers a better understanding of the factors affecting pilot workload and the human factors associated with complex environments.

As the cost of living became a challenge for many Canadian households, public servants at Finance Canada oversaw the development and implementation of the Affordability Plan. As part of the plan, Employment and Social Development Canada implemented a 10% increase to Old Age Security pensions for seniors aged 75 and older, and enhancements to the Canada Workers Benefit, while continuing to work with provinces and territories to implement affordable childcare. The Canada Revenue Agency administered the doubling of the Goods and Services Tax Credit and a one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit.

Health care and well-being in the country continued to be a focus this year, with public servants supporting work that is directly impacting Canadians.

• As part of significant efforts to deliver the Working together to improve health care for Canadians plan, Health Canada has been coordinating work with provincial and territorial counterparts and other federal partners on four shared health priorities to achieve better health outcomes for Canadians across the country: accessing family health services in the community; supporting the health workforce and reducing backlogs; accessing mental health and substance use services; and modernizing the health system, including access to electronic health information.
• Health Canada’s work with Finance Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency to roll out the interim Dental Care Benefit is already having an impact by ensuring access to dental care for more than 300,000 uninsured children under the age of 12 across the country.
• Infrastructure Canada and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency have been collaborating on a new Inuit-led community wellness hub in Iqaluit to improve the well-being of Nunavummiut, close gaps for mental health and wellness services, and draw on traditional knowledge, culture and lived expertise to best serve community needs.
• The Public Health Agency of Canada released new data on opioid and other substance-related harms, including updated projections for opioid-related deaths. This information will improve our understanding of the scope of the problem and inform actions to prevent and reduce harms and address the toxic and unpredictable illegal drug supply.
• Health Canada launched the Ease the Burden advertising campaign for men working in trades, a group that is more impacted by substance use and addiction than any other field of work. The campaign aims to reduce the stigma around asking for help and to share free resources for employees and employers.

Moving forward on our reconciliation journey, combatting hate, discrimination and racism, recommitting to accessibility, and ultimately contributing to a more just, safe and inclusive Canada remained top priorities for public servants this year.

• Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Indigenous Services Canada and other departments worked closely with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities to provide support for community-led initiatives during the visit of Pope Francis to Canada, such as healing activities, events, and ceremonies. To ensure that Survivors and their families and communities were able to participate in or witness the papal events if they so wished, the Papal apology was broadcasted in 12 Indigenous languages nation-wide and translated into 24 Indigenous languages.
• Women and Gender Equality Canada launched the first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan to address and prevent discrimination and stigma based on sexual orientation, sex characteristics, and gender identity and expression. The plan’s development was informed by the experiences, evidence and voices of 2SLGBTQI+ communities and stakeholders across the country.
• Accessibility Standards Canada hosted the first-ever Pan-Canadian Forum on Accessibility Standards. This type of collaboration with provinces and territories ensures that accessibility standards reflect the needs of people with disabilities regardless of jurisdiction.

Given the complexity of the issues tackled this year, there was a heightened focus across the Public Service on collaboration with partners, contributing to strong results in a wide range of areas.

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and provincial and territorial partners worked together to create the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The partnership positions Canada’s agriculture sector as a world leader in sustainable agriculture.
• Addressing a significant barrier to achieving gender equality, Women and Gender Equality Canada worked with provincial and territorial counterparts to release the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. The plan is a historic milestone in supporting victims and survivors of gender-based violence from coast to coast to coast.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada worked with partners to surpass Canada’s target of welcoming more than 431,000 new permanent residents in 2022 and more than 600,000 non-permanent residents. The department also worked closely with provinces, territories and Francophone stakeholders to meet Canada’s target for Francophone immigration in 2022 and to welcome the highest number of Francophone newcomers since 2006.

This is just a small sample of the many ways in which the Public Service worked tirelessly, creatively and collaboratively to implement the Government’s agenda and serve Canadians.

Progress on our priorities

In last year’s report, I identified three areas for action that, taken together, would effectively position the Public Service to serve in an increasingly complex operating environment:

• delivering results for Canadians;
• making anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility everyone’s priority; and
• recruiting with intention.

Further, building on what we learned from the pandemic, one of the most significant change initiatives we undertook this year was introducing a new hybrid work model. This new model combines the benefits of both remote and in-person work to achieve the best outcomes for Canadians while offering flexibility to many public servants.

I am proud of the progress we have made on these priorities, which has enabled us to effectively navigate the context outlined earlier while responding to the needs of Canadians.

Delivering results for Canadians

Serving Canadians is the reason many of us joined the Public Service. We came into our roles with a strong desire to contribute our experience, knowledge and talents to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people across the country.

Despite these successes, I know Canadians did not always receive the high-quality service they expected and deserved. As the world began to reopen and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic began to recede, the Public Service faced challenges addressing backlogs, managing large influxes of applications, including passport and immigration applications, handling delays at airports during the busy summer travel season, and ensuring timely high-quality service.

While the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the widespread return to normal activities were contributing factors, this surge in demand for services surfaced and exacerbated existing weaknesses and complexities in our systems and processes that need to be addressed. They include our aging IT infrastructure, our need to enhance digital skills across the Public Service, and the challenges we have in breaking down silos across organizations.

To address these challenges, the Public Service refocused its efforts and tackled these problems head-on. Under intense scrutiny, public servants, including those delivering front-line services, demonstrated their willingness to confront and address weaknesses and quickly react. Impacted departments took action to examine the different factors that contributed to each service delivery challenge so they could address the current issues and identify ways to prevent future situations from arising.

Making anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility everyone’s priority

Many public servants, including those who are members of employee-led networks and communities, have been working hard for many years to move forward with reconciliation and advance anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

In my last report, I asked all public servants to join them and make these important areas of work their priorities as well.

By focusing on our shared commitments as outlined in the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service, Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation and Nothing Without Us: An Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada, we saw results.

• On February 21, 2023, the Black Executives Network convened the second annual Deputy Minister Panel to discuss Black representation at the senior levels of the Federal Public Service and identify solutions to the unique and pervasive challenges facing current and future Black executives.
  The Communications Community Office launched a Career Development Initiative to support Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees working in communications in the Public Service. Indigenous communicators and Black and other racialized communicators have been involved every step of the way, and their insights will continue to help shape the supports available to them through the Career Development Initiative.
• The Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion launched the Indigenous Coaching and Counselling Circle, which connects Indigenous leaders in the Public Service with culturally appropriate coaching services. This is in addition to offerings such as the Indigenous Career Navigators Program and the Indigenous EX-Talent Referral Service that support an enterprise-wide approach to Indigenous recruitment, retention, development and career building. This approach empowers Indigenous employees in a welcoming and culturally safe space.
• The Public Service Pride Network launched a new mentorship program to help 2SLGBTQIA+ public servants excel in the workplace as their authentic selves. In its first inaugural cohort, the program matched 13 mentees with 13 executive mentors from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
• The Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund is supporting the creation of an Indigenous Accessibility Resource Centre led by the Knowledge Circle for Indigenous Inclusion that will provide guidance on culturally appropriate workplace accommodations for Indigenous federal public servants with disabilities.
• The Mosaic Leadership Development Program’s first cohort of 39 participants graduated this year. The program, which supports talented equity-seeking employees at the EX minus one level, includes sponsorship, academic learning, experience building and, at program completion, assessment of participants against the qualification standards for EX-01 positions.

• The Muslim Federal Employees Network developed a guide for managers that included information about Islamic religious holidays and social practices and ways to support Muslim employees.
• The Jewish Public Servants Network is working with the Canada School of Public Service to develop learning materials about antisemitism and how to address it as part of formal anti-racism and diversity, equity and inclusion learning products.
• The Sikh Public Service Professionals’ Network was created in April 2023 and serves as a space for Sikh public servants and their allies to connect and discuss issues at the intersection of racialization, gender, and minority religious identity.

 

Recognizing the critical need to ensure those who experience, witness, or have a responsibility to address harassment, hate, discrimination or racism in the workplace have somewhere to turn for support, 45 federal departments and agencies now have access to an ombuds to support psychological health and safety, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Ombuds provide confidential, independent and impartial spaces to discuss workplace issues.

Recruiting with intention

Ensuring we are building a workforce that represents the public we serve and has the right mix of skills, expertise and experience to meet the changing needs of Canadians has been a priority across the Public Service.

• Under Canada’s Digital Ambition 2022, the Office of the Chief Information Officer is conducting a 360-degree workforce assessment of digital capabilities to improve recruitment and retention of digital talent and the development of digital, data and cybersecurity skills.
• The Public Service Commission launched the Candidate Assessment Tool. This tool allows departments to administer remote, unsupervised second language evaluations. It is more convenient for candidates and enables organizations to evaluate candidates’ second language reading comprehension and written expression faster.
• The Government of Canada Data Community partnered with the Public Service Commission to introduce a new data scientist stream in the annual Post-Secondary Recruitment Program. This stream incorporates centralized assessment committees and the ability to match pre-qualified candidates to vacancies.

Equally important is supporting the public servants we have recruited as they develop their skills and build their careers in the Public Service.

• Most students working in the Public Service see themselves building a career with us, according to the results of the Student Exit Survey 2022.

  • 83% would seek a career in the Federal Public Service.
  • 88% would recommend to other students that they seek a career in the Federal Public Service.
  The Federal Youth Network hosted 11 in-person learning events across the country and more than 50 virtual learning sessions to equip young and new public servants with learning, networking, and mentorship opportunities. Over 8,000 public servants virtually attended Career Boot Camp, an annual event dedicated to helping new employees build a career and thrive in the Public Service.
• The Canada School of Public Service’s Digital Academy (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) launched more than 30 new learning products this year to prepare public servants for the new realities of artificial intelligence, the cloud, cybersecurity, and more.
• Statistics Canada offered free data literacy learning opportunities through the Data Literacy Training Initiative to all Canadians, including public servants. The learning catalogue includes training offerings on a wide range of topics for learners. New training videos released in the past year cover topics such as statistical bias and data ethics.
• The Community of Federal Regulators launched a new learning series called the Human Library, which is dedicated to providing small-scale, intimate learning settings to enable shared dialogue, engagement on thematic issues, and meaningful reflection on the skillsets and competencies required to successfully navigate regulatory challenges.

Building a workforce that will set us up to effectively serve in the future is an ongoing priority. The efforts made this past year are an important part of the process to help us achieve this goal.

Embracing hybrid ways of working

Like many Canadians, public servants shifted to a hybrid work model this past year, recognizing that many public servants delivered services in person throughout the pandemic and continue to do so.

Once we were able to safely welcome more employees back into the workplace, I outlined my expectations for deputies, including that they encourage employees to test new hybrid work models. The shift to a hybrid model was about putting our effectiveness first and making a change that would best enable us to support government and serve Canadians, while giving employees flexibility to support their well-being.

In December 2022, the direction on the common hybrid work model for the Federal Public Service was released. The direction set out a common hybrid model of working on-site at least two to three days per week, or 40% to 60% of regular schedules.

Since last year, public servants have been bringing hybrid to life.

I know getting here has not always been easy. The Public Service is the largest employer in the country. It is made up of hundreds of thousands of public servants in a wide range of roles across Canada and abroad. The mandates of organizations and the work public servants do are varied, interconnected, and crucial for Canadians. Shifting the entire Public Service to a common hybrid model was a critical step forward in supporting Canadians.

All public servants played a role in making this transition a success. Managers, in particular, have taken on a significant amount of the work to lead this transition for their teams. This has required ongoing discussions with their employees and organizational leadership. But all levels within our organizations – from human resources advisors to IT, security, and administrative professionals – have demonstrated true professionalism in the face of significant change.

I am pleased to see that, today, public servants are focused on how to work together to take full advantage of the benefits that hybrid work offers, such as coming together for greater collaboration and idea generation, knowledge transfer and building a stronger public service culture.

We are making progress on our priorities

I have been impressed by a commitment across the Public Service to continuous renewal and a shared drive to dedicate ourselves to excellence.

I am immensely proud of the Public Service’s successes this year, as well as the progress made in adapting and evolving as a public service to respond to these priorities and the deep recognition of the need to always do better.

The year ahead

Our experience over the past year tells me a few things.

We matter. Our work in the Public Service has a direct impact on the lives of Canadians. We see that impact when we get it right and when we let people down.

We listen and we act. Across the Public Service, there is real openness to hearing from Canadians and Public Service colleagues about our strengths and our weaknesses. We must always pay attention and act on what we hear so we can do better.

We lead. Whether it is on our reconciliation journey, combatting racism, hate and discrimination, improving accessibility, shifting to a hybrid work model for the Public Service, or solving complex challenges and seizing opportunities for Canadians, we are willing to take bold steps and do things differently when needed.

Above all else, the past year demonstrates the Public Service’s capacity for continuous improvement and has laid a great foundation for the years ahead.

True progress in the areas mentioned earlier cannot be realized over just one year. Renewal is continuous. For that reason, it is important that we keep our focus on the following priorities, while adjusting our efforts to have the most impact.

Pursue service excellence and deliver results for Canadians

We must be driven in all that we do by service to the people of Canada. We will apply what we learned this year to help resolve other outstanding backlogs and service challenges, to prevent new issues before they arise, and to build trust in the Public Service.

This will increasingly require us to move beyond our normal way of doing things and to look more directly at root causes. We must build in implementation considerations from the earliest phases of program and policy design. This means using data and client feedback to inform advice, and pursuing close collaboration within and across organizations, so those implementing policies will be able to identify potential challenges early on and work with policy colleagues to mitigate them.

We need to accelerate our work towards a future where we exceed Canadians’ expectations for seamless and accessible federal services delivered rapidly through a range of channels, including digitally.

Move forward with reconciliation and drive progress on anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility across the Public Service

Prioritizing progress on the Call to Action through goals, measurement and accountability will help us address the persistent barriers in our systems, processes and practices that have prevented too many employees from achieving their full potential for too long.

Our agenda on diversity and inclusion must be inclusive. We must advance our commitments under Many Voices One Mind: A Pathway to Reconciliation and Nothing Without Us: An Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada. We must combat transphobia and better support 2SLGBTQIA+ communities as outlined in the Public Service Pride Network’s recent open letter to deputy ministers. We must continue to prioritize recruitment and retention of persons with disabilities in the Public Service and make the culture change necessary to meaningfully advance accessibility. We must ensure our employees in religious minority communities feel safe and supported in their workplaces. Each of us must take concrete action to create more inclusive and accessible workplaces where everyone can thrive.

Success in this area will look like a public service that represents the population we serve, and workplaces without racism or discrimination and where all public servants feel like they belong, recognizing that employees bring with them interconnected dimensions of identity, such as Indigenous identity, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, linguistic identity, sex, age, sexual orientation and gender expression.

Recruit, develop and retain talent to build the Public Service of tomorrow

Building a skilled, high-performing workforce is about more than recruitment alone. Development and retention must be core components of our strategy as we seek to attract, retain and develop our own talent. This needs to include formal and informal learning opportunities, at-level assignments, and coaching and mentoring by more experienced colleagues, while listening to and learning from our newest employees.

The other aspect is the workplace experience we are offering employees. We have to focus on well-being, inclusion, professional development, workplace accommodations, respect for and promotion of official languages, and other factors that influence this experience. Public servants need to feel supported and respected, and they should see a path to reaching their full potential in the Public Service. Their efforts should be recognized and rewarded within their organizations.

Getting this right will mean the Public Service is attracting and retaining the talent we need for the future as a result of the inclusive culture, the care for their well-being, and the meaningful opportunities to serve Canadians.

Our new hybrid work model will give us more opportunities to advance these priorities and foster healthy, respectful and inclusive public service workplaces. Over the next year, efforts across the Public Service must focus on optimizing the hybrid work experience for public servants and ensuring fairness and equity in how this model is administered. This work will touch on all elements of the workplace and ways of working, including ensuring that we have the physical space, technology and management practices in place to support hybrid work; that accommodations such as adaptive technology or ergonomic equipment are provided for employees who need them; and that we continually monitor our workplace culture to ensure that it is inclusive and promotes an environment where all employees feel they belong.

A Public Service that advances these priorities and makes the most of hybrid work will provide an attractive value proposition for new and existing talent, offering them meaningful work and opportunities to meet their full potential and to build an impactful career with us.

All public servants, whether they have just joined us or have many years of experience, choose to commit some part of their professional lives to service, in an institution grounded in Public Service values and ethics. Our values are our foundation, a constant we can draw on through periods of change and when tackling complex issues. When practised and reinforced often, they empower us to do the right thing in difficult situations. We are at our best when we embody our shared values and ethics in all that we do and model them for others. Training and development plans need to be underpinned by ongoing efforts to build awareness of these foundational values and must reinforce their importance as fundamental to our roles to serve the elected government, Canadians and Canada to the best of our ability.

Conclusion

The Public Service is a strong and reliable institution made up of loyal hardworking public servants who are dedicated to serving the over 40 million people in Canada who rely on us.

We are dedicated to excellence and committed to representing the population we serve. We strive to give the best of ourselves to serve this great country every day.

Over the past 30 years, I have seen the Public Service achieve incredible things while constantly renewing and challenging itself to do better. It has evolved into a modern institution while respecting its core values.

I cannot say what the Public Service will face over the next 30 years. As we face our future, we can take inspiration from ajuinnata, an Inuktitut word shared with us by Governor General Mary Simon. It means to “never give up, no matter how difficult the task ahead might be.”⁹

No matter the challenge, I am confident that federal public servants will rise to meet it together in service to our country.

Annex: Key data

Number of employees¹⁰

Employment types¹¹

Age¹²

Average age of public servants (years)

Age distribution of public servants

Age distribution of new indeterminate hires¹³

Province/Territory of work¹⁴

Provincial/Territorial distribution of public servants

Years of experience¹⁵

First official language¹⁶

Mobility in the core public administration (CPA)

Employment equity representation (Rep.)¹⁹ and workforce availability (WFA)²⁰

Disaggregated²³ employment equity representation²⁴ and workforce availability (WFA)²⁵

View more statistics: Demographic Snapshot of Canada’s Public Service, 2022

Source: Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat