Report on values, ethics in public service lacks standpoint: knowledgeable

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Whereas a brand new report on values and ethics inside the federal public service highlights a necessity for extra instruments and coaching on the issues, one knowledgeable says the doc “oddly lacked a standpoint or place or a stance on something.”

The “Deputy Ministers’ Job Staff on Values and Ethics Report” ready for the Clerk of the Privy Council was printed in late December with 15 suggestions. Its authors embody members of a process pressure assembled by Clerk John Hannaford just a few months after he took on the senior bureaucrat function in June.

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Key points highlighted within the report embody the necessity to proceed to construct a extra numerous and inclusive public service, and to contemplate challenges created by social media and AI, in addition to the decision for extra instruments and coaching on values and ethics.

It additionally recommends that deputy ministers “proceed the dialogue on values and ethics of their departments and companies.” It didn’t, nevertheless, suggest a particular course of be adopted.

Providing the primary main values and ethics overview for the reason that “A Robust Basis” report was launched by John Tait nearly 30 years in the past, the doc drew from over 90 conversations that occurred with public servants and exterior stakeholders all through the autumn.

A few of these individuals additionally expressed considerations a couple of “double normal” between senior management and staff round compliance and enforcement of the 2003 Values and Ethics Code, and about their skill to “keep political neutrality when coping with political employees in a minister’s workplace.”

“There was sturdy settlement that public servants should keep their independence and credibility, which requires non-partisanship and resistance to exterior stress,” the report stated. “Placing a stability between political neutrality and offering knowledgeable recommendation, in addition to the trustworthy implementation and supply of applications and insurance policies, might be difficult.”

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Different suggestions from the report embody that “broad-based work be achieved to reinvigorate coaching and dialogue on values and ethics for workers all through their public service careers” and that “central companies replace steering for social media use as required.”

Michael Wernick, a former Clerk of the Privy Council, stated that whereas the doc was a “respectable session ‘what we heard’ report,” it left him asking “what now?”

“It’s oddly missing a standpoint or place or a stance on something. It type of simply sends the ball again to the Clerk and the Secretary of the Treasury Board and says we actually ought to have coverage on acceptable use of social media, however there’s no recommendation on what that coverage ought to appear like,” Wernick stated.

“It identifies an issue with the incursions of political employees, however there’s no recommendation on what to do about it. So it type of left me hanging.”

The report’s authors stated the doc is “meant to function a prologue to a broader dialogue on values and ethics within the public service, and we start by sharing what we’ve heard, frankly and with out filters.”

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Pierre-Alain Bujold, spokesperson for the Privy Council Workplace, stated the Clerk is taking time to mirror on the report’s observations and proposals and take into account one of the best choices for subsequent steps. He stated the report will inform the “subsequent section,” together with broaden the dialogue on values and ethics.

When Hannaford created the group of senior officers tasked with discussing values and ethics inside the public service, he stated he anticipated to see a “milestone report” by the tip of the 12 months.

Wernick stated he agrees with the report’s name for extra engagement, including that he’d prefer to see the subsequent spherical “drill deeper and be extra pragmatic.” He added that will probably be attention-grabbing to see if Parliament exhibits curiosity within the report and if the Home of Commons committee on authorities operations invitations the Clerk to talk about it.

“This appears like an image of how the general public service sees itself,” he stated. “I don’t know precisely who they talked to but it surely seems like they talked to loads of those that have been concerned in variety, fairness points. The report is a bit mild on issues that voters and taxpayers would in all probability be extra concerned about like cash, productiveness, excellence.”

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Daniel Quan-Watson, a deputy minister for slightly below 15 years earlier than his retirement final 12 months, stated he helps the report’s suggestion for conversations to be furthered “institution-wide” inside federal authorities departments.

“We have to preserve speaking about this as a result of issues are evolving shortly and in several methods and since folks have loads of questions,” Quan-Watson stated, including that conversations will differ considerably from group to group. “I believe that this goes a protracted technique to ensuring that they try this.”

Quan-Watson stated it could have been “deeply problematic” for a device on all values and ethics within the public service to have been developed or for any main modifications to be made to the Values and Ethics Code over just a few months.

“That may miss 90 per cent of the general public service, I’m unsure that these modifications are ones that may be that efficient,” Quan-Watson stated, including that he hopes public servants be happy to lift their questions and considerations to managers and senior management. “I believe the wise factor to say is hear, listed here are the areas that we checked out, we’re getting constant themes on this, so let’s go see what the broader public service has to say about it.”

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“That takes time. It makes it stronger and it makes it extremely extra useful when it’s achieved.”

Jennifer Carr, president of the Skilled Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents greater than 70,000 authorities employees, stated she’s involved that the suggestions of the report go away options as much as particular person departments.

“The decentralization of the general public service, it makes it very arduous for us because the unions to offer steering to our members,” Carr stated, noting that she would have no less than favored to see particulars on how departments ought to set up insurance policies. “There’s no bigger coverage that needs to be the overarching one.”

The report didn’t point out a must replace the Values and Ethics Code, final up to date in 2012, or the Open and Accountable Authorities doc, launched in 2015. Wernick stated it could be “very, very helpful” for the latter to be reissued, given the development of social media.

“The code is 30 years previous, I hoped that it could carry it into the twenty first century,” Carr stated. “Not restrictively, however no less than give some pointers, as a result of the entire social media factor, in fact, is a giant, massive a part of the subsequent era. Public servants want readability.”

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“It simply retains coming again to performative actions and as an alternative of actual change.”

The report discovered that many individuals “raised the numerous impacts of the proliferation of social media, the emergence of generative AI, and the unfold of misinformation and disinformation.” It additionally notes that some individuals stated serving the federal government can really feel like censorship.

“Whereas these technological and communication traits supply alternatives for presidency engagement, transparency and communication, they’ve additionally raised advanced challenges close to sustaining transparency and accountability, in addition to public belief within the integrity of data and establishments,” it states.

The report process pressure was chaired by Catherine Blewett, deputy minister of Financial Improvement and president of the Atlantic Canada Alternatives Company. Different members included deputy minister of Well being Canada Stephen Lucas, deputy minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Christiane Fox and chief of the Communications Safety Institution Caroline Xavier. It additionally included ex-officio member Donnalyn McClymont, the Privy Council Workplace deputy secretary to the cupboard.

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