Public Safety Canada

Part I. Values and ethics training plans

Question 1

Has your organization developed department-specific values and ethics training plans down to the divisional level?

• Yes

If not, to what level have department-specific values and ethics training plans been developed and what is your target time frame for completing this work?

N/A

Question 2

Has your organization fully implemented department-specific training plans?

• Yes

If not, what is your target time frame for completing this work?

N/A

Part II. Codes of conduct

Question 3

Has your organization reviewed its code of conduct?

• My organization is in the process of reviewing its code of conduct.

Question 4

If your organization is in the process of reviewing its code of conduct, what is your target time frame for completing the review?

Public Safety (PS) is currently reviewing its Code of Conduct. Consultations with key partners and all PS employees on proposed changes and the draft version of the new Code is planned by September 2024. The review will align with any guidance or upcoming changes from Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS). Official publication of the updated Code is planned by December 2024. 

Question 5

If your organization has completed the review of its code of conduct, did this review lead to updates?

• My organization is in the process of updating its code of conduct.

Please briefly describe the nature of any updates made (e.g., to clarify expected behaviours, to align with the emerging context, to include emerging risks) or explain why no updates were deemed necessary.

As stated above, Public Safety is currently reviewing its Code of Conduct. Below are elements that we are looking to address as part of this review:

• Additional guidance on practical application for each core value to address feedback received.
• Re-imagining of the conflict of interest declaration process towards a mandatory form which includes a risk based self assessment and clearer definitions for reportable items to address concerns of under reporting of conflicts of interest.
• Updated information on use of social media, responding to the Task Team report's recommendation.
• More changes may be implemented as consultations continue as well as aligning to any guidance that may be received from TBS.

Part III. Discussions on personal accountability in upholding public service values and ethics

Question 6

What activities or actions has your organization undertaken to foster a conversation at all levels on personal accountability to uphold our public service values and ethics?

• Dedicated discussions at executive and management committee meetings
• All-staff engagements (e.g., town halls)
• Focused engagement sessions for specific functional areas (e.g., operations, finance, communications, policy, human resources)
• Focused engagement sessions on specific topics (e.g., conflicts of interest, social media, emerging technologies)
• Engagement sessions with equity groups, employee groups, networks and communities
• Inclusion in employees’ performance and talent management cycle discussions
• Specific values and ethics communications campaigns

Please provide additional details on activities that you have undertaken, including those not listed above.

Public Safety (PS) is committed to fostering discussion on personal accountability and upholding public service values and ethics (V&E), and held multiple forums of conversations to give employees at all levels the chance to share their perspective, concerns, ideas and questions on V&E in the Public Service as well as in the department.

An EX symposium was held at the end of October 2023 to survey the PS executive community.

A message from the Deputy Minister (DM) and Associate DM released on November 20, 2023 to all employees informed them of the work being done by the Task Team on V&E and announced upcoming internal V&E consultations. Subsequently, a DM message was sent in December to share the V&E Task Team report.

Information on V&E was also shared as well as the launch of the consultations during the Workplace Consultative Committee meeting in November 2023, open to all employees.

Additionally, since November 2023, 10 virtual V&E consultation sessions have been held at PS (regional offices, all staff, committees, employee networks, team specific). A tailored consultation session was held on February 6 with the department’s Employees with Disabilities Network. Two regional sessions were held with employees in Toronto and British Columbia which were chaired by the Associate Deputy Minister. PS also created an anonymous online feedback form, which remains available to employees to provide their comments on V&E. Since December 2023, 30 completed forms have been received.

On January 23, 2024, a V&E related discussion was held at the Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADM) level.

PS was also one of the few departments that engaged in the Enforcement Community V&E consultation led by the department of Fisheries and Oceans.

V&E has been added to the employees’ performance and talent management cycle discussions through the new 2024-25 version of the common mandatory objective on wellness, equity, diversity and inclusion which includes a reference to Public Safety’s Code of Conduct. Reminders of the importance of discussing the PS’ Code of Conduct and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, have also been added to the performance and talent management communications for year-end 2023-24 and beginning of year 2024-25.

Many internal V&E communications were released to all-staff in 2023 and 2024, to raise awareness and remind employees of their responsibilities, such as:

• Email to all staff on safeguarding information (linking it to their responsibilities under the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and the PS code of conduct) was shared in May 2023
• Email to all staff on Disclosure of Wrongdoing shared in June of 2023
• Email to all staff on political activities shared in March of 2024.
• Infobulletin on the use of Social Media as a public servant and upholding the Duty of Loyalty shared in June of 2023 and in December 2023
• Infobulletin on the PS Code of Conduct shared in October of 2023
• Infobulletin on a Public Service Commission (PSC) information session on Political Activities and non-partisanship shared in March of 2023
• All staff email on the Review of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act and inviting them to complete the survey in March 2024
• All staff email on Values and Ethics and Conflict of Interest was shared in April 2024
• All staff email on Elections and Political Activities of Public Servants was shared in May 2024

Question 7

Has your organization taken any actions to ensure that conversations on personal accountability to uphold our public service values and ethics occur on a continuing basis?

• Included as part of the onboarding process for new employees
• Incorporated in employees’ professional development and mandatory learning plans

Please provide details on activities that you have undertaken, including those not listed above.

PS has taken several actions to ensure that conversations on personal accountability to uphold the public service values and ethics occur on a continuing basis in several ways.

Training and learning activities have been adjusted to further focus on V&E themes.

In addition to the CSPS mandatory V&E training, PS currently offers several bi-annual courses with a V&E focus or V&E related content:

• Introduction to V&E and Conflict of Interest (COI)
• Conflicts of Interest for Academics and Researchers
• Respect in the Workplace
• Leading with Empathy

PS also offers teams the ability to participate in a session on demand where they are given the opportunity to collaboratively develop a Team Values Charter.

The Onboarding program includes a V&E section to ensure that new employees and students understand values and ethics as well as codes of conduct. Values and codes of conduct in both Public Safety and public service have been included in welcome emails, description of the program, as well in onboarding guide and presentation session.

Onboarding Guide has a section on conflict of interest to ensure new employees and students understand them and know how to prevent/report them. It also included a section on how to use social media in order to maintain an impartial public service. A point on values and ethics has been added in onboarding checklists; managers and supervisors as well as new employees are invited to discuss together on codes of conduct and conflicts of interest, and how it is important to discuss and declare them any time during the employment period.

V&E has been added to the employees’ performance and talent management cycle discussions through the new 2024-25 version of the common mandatory objective on wellness, equity, diversity and inclusion which includes a reference to the Public Safety’s Code of Conduct. Reminders of the importance of discussing the PS’ Code of Conduct and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, have also been added to the performance and talent management. 

Part IV. Additional information

Question 8

What recurring themes (e.g., social media, emerging technology, conflicts of interest) have emerged from conversations with employees (e.g., students, new public servants, front-line service providers, managers, executives, members of functional/horizontal communities/employee networks) across your organization?

Several recurring themes have emerged from employee consultations across PS.

In the 10 internal consultation sessions conduction on V&E since November 2023 and from the 30 completed feedback forms, it was found that PS employees:

• Understand and identify with the values but do not always think of them in their day-to-day work;
• Agreed that the values must be modelled by senior leaders who should lead by example with ethical behavior;
• Identify the need for more frequent opportunities to learn about and discuss V&E by linking them to concrete scenarios;
• Feel that heavy workloads and productivity standards sometimes take precedence over ethical behaviour.

During an executive symposium held at the end of October 2023, the department surveyed its executive community, given discussions that were occurring across the public service on V&E. When asked if they believed employees fully understood the essence and importance of V&E in the Public Service, executives at Public Safety responded in an even 50/50 split.

On January 23, 2024, a V&E related discussion was held at the ADM level where the ongoing importance of V&E was stated and the importance of public servants at all levels modelling and embodying the Public Sector values was discussed. Additionally, it was noted that upholding the values is a partnership whereby employees commit to respecting the values and the employer also honors V&E obligations are both crucial aspects of building and maintaining trust.

Question 9

How have you adjusted your learning activities to address recurring themes (e.g., adjusted training plans, developed specific case studies, invited expert speakers to focus on emerging themes)?

Training and learning activities have been adjusted to further focus on V&E themes.

In addition to the CSPS mandatory V&E training, PS currently offers several bi-annual courses with a V&E focus or V&E related content:

• Introduction to V&E and COI
• Conflicts of Interest for Academics and Researchers
• Respect in the Workplace
• Leading with Empathy

PS also offers teams the ability to participate in a session on demand where they are given the opportunity to collaboratively develop a Team Values Charter.

The V&E section included as part of the Onboarding program was also updated in December 2023. Onboarding monthly sessions for new employees and students now include additional content on values in public service (Respect for democracy, Respect for people, Integrality, Stewardship, and Excellence) and how it influences values and behaviour at the department (such as our Simple Rules).

Starting in June 2024, the onboarding program also now includes special quarterly sessions for new employees and students offered by the V&E team to present services available and initiate a discussion on Values and Ethics. Employees are also encouraged to take other V&E-focused courses offered by the V&E team (see above) not only during this session but also during all other onboarding activities. Information on training has also been added on the onboarding program intranet page.

Question 10

Are there any actions or learning activities that have been particularly successful in fostering conversations within your organization (e.g., new tools, creative approaches that have resonated well with employees and managers, meeting with small groups, equipping managers to lead conversations, equipping values and ethics office/practitioners)?

PS has taken several actions that have been particularly successful in fostering V&E conversations within the organization.

Within its Code of Conduct, PS outlines the following four departmental specific values: Service, Unity, Respect and Excellence. These values are complimentary to the Public Sector Values but enhance PS’s unique contribution to V&E in the Public Sector.

As well, Public Safety’s Four Simple Rules were developed back in 2015 by PS employees for PS employees and greatly assist employees in interpreting the departmental and Public Sector values in a more concrete and action-oriented manner. The Simple Rules are as follows:

• Act in good faith and trust others do as well
• Actively support each other
• Speak and listen with empathy and an open mind
• Collaborate, share and value each other's contribution

Question 11

What indicators will be used to measure increased employee awareness of the role of values and ethics in their daily work (e.g., Public Service Employee Survey, pulse surveys, engagement with focus groups)?

Several indicators will be used to measure increased employee awareness of the role of values and ethics in their daily work.

Indicators from the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) related to V&E such as the promotions of V&E, support in the case of an ethical dilemma, the recourse process and fear of reprisal, will be used to measure increased employee awareness of the role of V&E in their daily work.

Additionally, V&E has been added to employees’ performance and talent management cycle discussions through the new 2024-25 version of the common mandatory objective on wellness, equity, diversity and inclusion which includes a reference to the Public Safety’s Code of Conduct.  Reminders of the importance of discussing the PS’ Code of Conduct and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, have also been added to the performance and talent management communications for year-end 2023-24 and beginning of year 2024-25.

Question 12

Will these indicators be disaggregated by identity factors?

• Yes

Question 13

Is there any additional information that you would like to share regarding your organization’s work on values and ethics (e.g., to advance particular recommendations of the Deputy Ministers’ Task Team on Values and Ethics Report)?

PS has taken several actions to advance the following particular recommendations of the Deputy Minister’s Task Team on Values and Ethics Report.

Under the heading, public service as a calling, PS has:

• Engaged in multiple department-wide V&E consultations
• Extended an offer to ADMs to conduct V&E consultation sessions in their branches
• Shared the findings of employee V&E consultations during Branch Management Committee meetings.
• Fielded adhoc V&E consultation requests from directorates
• More concretely integrated V&E into Performance Management Agreement (PMAs) for managers and employees
• Begun the process of a PS Code of Conduct update

Under the heading, stewards of the public trust, PS has:

• Continued to deliver V&E training sessions
• Continued regular departmental V&E related communications

Under the heading, respect for people has grown in importance as a value and driver of change, PS has:

• Continued its efforts towards a respectful, inclusive, valued-based workplace. Values and ethics has been integrated in the recently developed departmental Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan for 2024-2027. Respect for people is the foundation for many EDI initiatives at PS such as the internal Name Change Process to support employees changing their name due to a change in marital status, identity or for other reasons, and the centralized Duty to Accommodate function to eliminate barriers to accessibility and support employee wellbeing.

Under the heading, values and accountability, PS has:

• Updated existing documentation on the V&E intranet page
• Begun the update of the PS Code of Conduct

Under the heading, individual action and collective responsibility, PS has:

• Continued regular communications on V&E and COI in the current context including on the Duty of Loyalty and social media
• Continued regular communications on the V&E Code and PS’s Four Simple Rules
• Continued regular communications on information, resources and processes available to report wrongdoing
• Begun the development of guidance around V&E and Artificial Intelligence