Message on broadening the values and ethics conversations within organizations (March 2024)

Dear Colleagues:

In my new role as Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, the Clerk has asked me to assume a leadership role in facilitating our dialogue on values and ethics.

As Deputy Clerk, and as a previous member of the Deputy Minister Task Team on Values and Ethics, I have seen firsthand the enthusiasm of public servants to participate in a conversation on Public Service Values and Ethics.

Public servants have a thirst to better understand how their contributions advance their organizational mandates and fit into the whole of the public service. Values and ethics come to life in the daily work of public servants within their specific organizational context, which underscores the importance of the role you will be playing in advancing this conversation.

One of my top priorities is supporting you as you lead your teams in embracing the practical dialogue that will drive our collective learning.

As a first step, I have worked with some of our colleagues to identify tools that can support you in fulfilling the direction from the Clerk.

• A dedicated Values and Ethics learning path on the Canada School of Public Service (CSPC) learning platform, which will be updated throughout the year with tools to support your work.
• An updated version of the document Values Alive: Discussion guide to the “Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector”  from the Office of the Chief Human Resource Officer (OCHRO)
• A short video entitled Building a Strong Public Sector Through Values and Ethics
• A short video on Navigating Social Media as a Public Servant

A key milestone in the work you are leading will be to report back in June 2024 with a written assessment of the actions undertaken in your organizations. So that we can all benefit from a public service-wide snapshot of our collective efforts underway, a common approach to reporting will be shared with you by the end of March.

The reporting model will be closely aligned with the Clerk’s directions in January. It will provide an opportunity for you to share additional observations from conversations with your employees, such as emerging themes, best practices and tools in development. Your input will feed into the fall Symposium.

As you advance this work, if you have not already, I strongly encourage you to appoint a Values and Ethics Champion who can advance work in your organization and across the public service by sharing best practices and exploring ways to tackle any gaps or barriers that surface. It will be useful to bring this group of Champions together periodically so please provide the name of your organizational Values and Ethics Champions and contact details to OCHRO at integrity-integrite@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

In my role, I will also be prioritizing conversations with public servants across the country and beyond to directly hear their perspectives and experiences.

Continuing this engagement on public service values and ethics is a key priority for me and the Clerk. I look forward to continuing this important work together.

Christiane Fox (she/her)
Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet