IV

CHALLENGES FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

The arrival of a new Government does not change the traditional vocation of the Public Service. Indeed, that vocation has been publicly reaffirmed by the Prime Minister. Yet at the same time, the activities and priorities of the Public Service will of course adjust in response to the particular objectives of the Government, its policy agenda and the economic and social circumstances of the new mandate.

The question of values is important. The Government has made clear, for example, that it is committed to managing any necessary reductions in staff to the extent possible through attrition rather than layoffs. And the Prime Minister took immediate steps, on taking office, to reduce the size of Ministers' offices and to restate the importance of the traditionally close working relationship between Ministers and their Deputies. ¹³   I applaud these measures as an expression of confidence in the Public Service.

Since taking office, and particularly in the February Budget, the Government has launched a series of major policy and program reviews touching virtually every aspect of government activity. Those reviews will eventually lead to significant changes in government policies and the programs that follow from them. The pressures on public servants to be innovative during this review process, and to adapt to change at the end of it, will be intense.

For these reasons, I see the following areas as requiring particular attention in the coming year:

Stability

Given the scope of the current policy and program review exercise, it will be a priority for Deputies and their management teams to consolidate their organizations and to generate an atmosphere of stability within which employees can carry out their duties to the Government and to Canadians. This will mean settling internal organizational and staffing issues as quickly as possible, so that people can get down to work with a sense of confidence and direction. I am listing this as a first priority because I believe that without this kind of stability, other objectives will be difficult to attain.

Better Service to Canadians

This is of course part of the raison d'être of the Public Service and a declared priority of the Government. In many program areas, we will be pursuing ways of co-operating with other levels of government to improve services or reduce costs. We need to move forward with the consolidation of delivery mechanisms and of internal administrative functions, especially in the regions.

Although significant progress has been made, we have yet to realize the full benefit of our already-significant investments in information technology and in innovative delivery mechanisms such as Canada Business Service Centres and InfoCentres. Many similar opportunities are available, especially for merging the administrative functions of different departments located in the same area. Over time, this will lead to streamlined services and significant cost savings.

In the 1994 Budget, the Government committed itself to establish and publish service standards by 1995 and to issue a Declaration of Quality Service by the summer of the same year. This is a tangible way to demonstrate the Government's commitment to provide better service to Canadians.

Getting full value from these initiatives, especially in the critical area of information technology, will require initial capital investments and some tough decisions by the Government in the light of very limited resources. I believe, however, that these investments offer the potential for significant savings to the taxpayer over the longer term.

People

People ought always to be a priority in the process of renewal. I have already noted the disruption, uncertainty and stress that have resulted from the changes of the past year. This makes it all the more important to maintain the motivation, values and skills of public servants, and their faith in this institution.

Departments and central agencies will need to continue their efforts to help the workforce adjust to the changing environment, to improve the quality of working life, and to provide increased opportunities for employees to develop the skills they need to tackle the challenges ahead.

 

13	See the Prime Minister's press release of November 4, 1993.

         

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