Clerk John Hannaford’s remarks at the symposium on values and ethics (October 2024)

This is the second day, obviously, of a symposium that I think has been really quite inspiring to me. There has been a depth to this conversation, which is I think reflective of an appetite for us to grapple with some of the core issues that we are confronting as a community and some of the things that define us as a profession. And that, in and of itself, I think is, as I say, it is inspiring to me personally. It’s inspiring of the vibrancy of this group. It’s inspiring in the sense that I think we are grappling with things that matter, and that’s to the strength of us as an institution and the future of this body.

I want to start by saying though that we are gathered on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people, and the importance of statements like this link us back to the discussions we’ve been having.

Values and ethics are rooted in the respect for people. And respect for people is rooted in the work that we are doing towards reconciliation.

Wherever you are today, whether it’s in the National Capital Region or across Canada, or abroad, I encourage you to learn the history of the area you find yourselves in and to learn from the Indigenous peoples.

As has been evident from the conversations we’ve been having, we learn enormously from those around us.

About a year ago, we launched this dialogue on values and ethics.

I’ve been struck by the eagerness with which public servants have taken it up. I’ve appreciated speaking with public servants at all levels to gain a new perspective on what we do on behalf of Canadians.

Many of the conversations have really centred around the theme of what it is to be a public servant. You’re all going to have different answers to that question based on your own experiences, the job you do, the institution you serve and the way that you serve Canadians.

For my own part, the service of democracy is one of the most inspiring aspects of the work that we perform together.

We are a central pillar of our democratic system, and the democratic system is a central pillar of our society. So, we make a very direct contribution to something that is really fundamental to the society that we serve.

And I want every public servant across our organization to feel proud. Not just of their individual achievements or the achievements of their team or department… but in being a public servant. And I must say, I found it enormously gratifying to watch the words flash up on the screen earlier; service should be enormously prominent, as should be pride.

I hope this conversation reinforces that pride in who we are.

It’s an essential work for our democracy and our country and for Canadians. We uphold the integrity and credibility of the system, and we respect the democratic will of Canadians.

That’s an incredibly important role to play.

Each of us is part of something bigger.

For me, that realization crystallized very early on in my career.

As a newly minted lawyer, I was given an opportunity in 1995 to play a role in a dispute that we were having with Spain on our East Coast fisheries. That dispute found its way in front of the International Court of Justice, and I was part of a small team that was asked to present our defence in that context. And I realized, as I was working on our presentation of Canada’s case, that this really wasn’t about me. It was about Canada.

The consequences that we would have, as a result of our success or failure, would be felt by our country. It would relate to our waters and our relationship with an ally. The work I was doing really wasn’t about me; it was about our country.

And that same feeling has followed me throughout my career.

As I was given the responsibility of being a deputy minister and leading an institution of public servants who impressed me daily with the quality of the work they did and their commitment and the depth of their expertise.

It followed when I’ve had the opportunity to travel with the Prime Minister to areas near conflict zones, where you see our people in uniform who serve and sacrifice for the ideals that our country holds dear.

We are all part of something bigger.

When Canadians call for help filing their taxes, or apply to programs online, or go through customs at the border, their experiences shape their perception of the public service and the government.

The public servant working in that call centre, or developing that web content, or reviewing applications, or designing the program eligibility requirements, is part of something bigger.

And it’s not just public-facing workers, either.

Everyone who works behind the scenes to support our institutions, like HR, administration, or IT employees, is part of our success.

When public servants at every level deliver excellence, and demonstrate integrity, and exercise sound stewardship of the taxpayer’s dollars, that builds trust and confidence.

It’s not just what we do. It’s how we do it.

And as we face an operating environment that is ever-changing and increasingly complex, these conversations about how we do our work, how we embrace our core values, how we adapt to continue to deliver excellence in the future are essential.

So, how should we proceed? Well, guided by shared purpose, with a strong understanding of who we are as an organization. And that’s what our code of values and ethics provides.

A professional, non-partisan public service is an essential part of our democracy.

We provide the government with options and then put the government’s decisions into practice in the service of Canada.

Our advice is based on science, evidence, knowledge, and experience. We’re honest and forthright about challenges and provide solid options to address them.

Ultimately, it’s up to ministers to make decisions on behalf of our country.

Whatever our personal beliefs, we have a professional duty to support our democracy by serving our clients—the government and Canadians—to the best of our ability.

We do this with courage, with candour, with transparency and openness, and with respect.

I talked about respect earlier: how it is a big part of reconciliation—learning and listening to Indigenous peoples; respecting their knowledge, their stories, their identities and their experiences.

As we discussed yesterday afternoon, we also bring our values to life by making meaningful progress on the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion and by making our workplaces accessible to all, by promoting a healthy culture.

Our ability to innovate and solve problems comes from teamwork, which happens when people feel valued and included.

We need to have open conversations about mental health, about safe workspaces.

And we need to seek out dissenting points of view, reflect on them and share what decisions were made and explain why.

We must also be agile and resilient in the face of change.

The reality of our work, and the world we live in, is that change is constant.

Whether that change is as global as a pandemic, as local as a change in priorities, we need to embrace it and set ourselves up for success.

There are a lot of things that we can prepare for. We can analyze trends and forecast different scenarios one year or five years down the track.

We need to be comfortable with the unknown unknowns. There will always be surprises, and it’s up to us to respond effectively. We’ve seen extraordinary examples of this, including our responses during the COVID pandemic and to the wildfires across the country. We manage risks, adapt to new circumstances, and make the most of opportunities to innovate.

Now we know that there is a fixed election date in October 2025. As a professional and non-partisan public service, we support democracy and carry out the business of government.

For those of you who’ve joined the public service in recent years, you will not have had the experience of our role during an electoral period, and I strongly encourage leaders across our system to discuss that role during the election time.

I encourage us all to embrace our role: the public service offers continuity for Canadians and for the duly elected government. It is the strength of our system.

Now, in all that we do, we must strive for excellence.

And achieving excellence is no easy feat. We are, after all, only human.

Sometimes, we can feel like we’re hitting roadblocks. And it can be hard if our advice doesn’t make it into the final cut.

But take this to heart—our service matters.

Our work matters.

At every level. In every part of the country.

Ultimately, I hope you come to see yourselves as I see you—part of an essential whole, contributing to an organization that has great meaning and profound purpose.

An organization whose central tenets have stood the test of time.

An organization that will continue to evolve to meet the needs of Canadians now and into the future.

That’s why this symposium is so important. That’s why continued dialogue after this symposium is done, is so important.

We want public servants to come out of this symposium feeling better equipped to deal with the challenges of the future.

Now, as we look to what comes next, I think there are some key areas where we can provide new direction that will make a real difference: This afternoon’s panel is going to be a discussion on guidelines for how we responsibly use artificial intelligence in our work.

It’s also been very clear, over the course of the conversations we’ve had in the last year, that guidance with respect to the use of social media would be welcome and important.

Yesterday we heard of the work that TBS has initiated in this regard. And I am grateful for that, because I think it provides a really sound foundation. But it also requires further development and discussion, given the evolution of social media on a minute-by-minute basis.

So I’ve asked Deputy Clerk Fox to continue these efforts by working closely with Jacquie Bogden, the Chief Human Resources Officer, to continue this dialogue and to refine the social media guidance by spring of next year, in a way that will reflect national and international best practices.

Similarly, we don’t want to lose the accomplishments we’ve had to date on our conversations on values and ethics, and I’ve asked Taki Sarantakis, President of the School, to establish a permanent values and ethics visiting scholar, which will be operational by 2025.

It will be named after my friend and mentor, Ian Shugart, who was an inspirational colleague and mentor, former clerk of the Privy Council and senator who loved this country.

He epitomized what we aspire to as public servants: committed to excellence in serving the public and supporting democracy with integrity, openness, and respect.

Taki will provide some further details on this, but, broadly speaking, this new role will be an annual rotating appointment, with the scholar focusing on:

• the development and implementation of values and ethics courses;
• research on ethics and governance;
• promoting the importance of ethical leadership; and
• ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion are fully integrated in our values of excellence, integrity, stewardship, respect for democracy, and respect for people.

Finally, I call on deputy heads to continue building on this momentum by concentrating efforts in their respective departments on:

• updating their organizational codes of conduct;
• producing departmental disclosure of wrongdoing and misconduct reports;
• requiring employees to annually resubmit conflict of interest attestations; and
• embedding consequential accountability for progress in advancing the Call to Action.

We are together, the public service. We are the public service at this moment in time in the history of our country, all of us. We have a responsibility in that regard, to live up to the values of our organization. We have a responsibility to our society to serve to the best of our ability. We have a responsibility to hold ourselves to high standards.

It’s a very high calling. It’s a critical role that we play. I’m deeply proud of this institution, and I really look forward to continuing this conversation in this format and going forward.

And I look forward to the panel we’re going to have right now, and I want to thank you all for participating in today’s event.

Thank you. Miigwech. Merci.