VII

Conclusion

We in the Public Service of Canada have lived through an historical period of change resulting from governments taking measures to regain their fiscal sovereignty and realign their role to better serve Canadians. The public sector is entering a new but equally challenging period.

The period ahead will be about

• Forging new relationships among governments

• Laying the basis for new partnerships with other sectors of society

• Strengthening the relationship between government and citizen

This will reaffirm the need for a professional, non-partisan public service. Furthermore, it will require that public servants renew their commitment to serving Canada and Canadians by doing things differently. It will mean focussing on the whole, rather than on the parts, by

• Putting the public interest ahead of the interests of any single department or agency in policy development

• Serving citizens as whole persons by moving from single to integrated services

It will require a culture change:

• Learning to work in teams and in partnerships

• Exploring and experimenting with different ways of doing things, helping each other and learning as we go

• Dismantling barriers and removing red tape

As we move forward, it will be important to protect the capacity of the Public Service to serve the public interest. The values of serving in the public interest and of supporting a parliamentary democracy will always remain central to the role of the public sector. In the past, as in the future, these values are the foundation of the public sector.

• Loyalty to the public interest as represented and interpreted by the duly elected government of the land -- Loyally helping ministers, under the rule of law, to serve the public good. This requires respect for fundamental democratic values, such as accountability to ministers and, through them, to the citizens of Canada; support for the government of the day; and respect for the rule of law and due process.

• Service to Canada and Canadians -- This is about values such as excellence, professional competence, quality and efficiency. Public servants must constantly renew their commitment to serve Canadians by enhancing the quality of service, by adapting to changing needs and by improving productivity.

• Ethical values such as honesty, integrity and probity -- While these values are no different from those found in other sectors of society, they take on a particular meaning in the Public Service, where they mean the ability to hold a public trust and to put the common good ahead of any private or individual self-interest.

• People values such as fairness and equity -- Because citizens in a democracy are equal bearers of rights and duties, it is a principle of public service that citizens should be treated equitably and not with special favour to some. Balancing the interests and preserving the rights of citizens in a fair and equitable manner is fundamental to public service.
  

Mr. Prime Minister, in any organization, people make the difference. With your continued support and the support of your government, the men and women serving in the Public Service are willing and able to shoulder the challenges of their time. I look forward to reporting back to you next year about their struggle, their effort, their success, and their dream of shaping a modern and relevant institution to serve Canada and Canadians.

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