Accountability and the Public service

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper

CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Thank you for that welcome.

On a day when the good work of Federal Government employees is on display for all to see, it is appropriate that we are here today. I requested this gathering because I want to personally convey my support - and our new government's support - for the public service.

As Conservatives, we believe in public service, both in the ideal and the institution. For while we celebrate the critical role of the private sector and profit-oriented business in the generation of wealth, we also understand that our success as a nation depends on the critical role that must be played by government, especially by a national government, that reflects the best practices and highest ideals of public service.

We need an effective Federal Government that is capable of getting things done for ordinary working Canadians and their families. A federal government that works hand in hand with the provinces. And a federal government that advances and defends Canada's interests on the world stage.

As you all know, I recently had the opportunity to see firsthand the work being performed on our behalf - and on behalf of all humanity - by Canadian public servants in Afghanistan, by our defence forces combating terror and clearing mines and explosives, by our development officers providing aid and education, and by our diplomats coordinating these efforts on the ground and around the world.

These are heroic examples of public service under extreme conditions, but they underscore why being a public servant is not merely an honourable profession, but also vitally important to the well-being of our country.

Effective government requires effective public servants - which is why I am so proud to stand in front of such a group today.

For, as I look around this room, as I compare the challenges that I face compared to those that face, for example, President Karzai, I realize how fortunate we are in this country to possess a modern, multi-faceted public service staffed by professional, dedicated and highly skilled people such as yourselves.

Year after year you are called upon to administer and implement the far-reaching laws and policies of the Government of Canada - in a fair, impartial and wise manner for the benefit of all Canadians. A quick glance shows the vast diversity of Canada's public service, as well as the extent of your experience and talent.

You are the customs officers who protect our borders against those who would endanger our communities by smuggling in illicit weapons or drugs. You are the public health nurses who work hard around the clock, day in and day out, to improve the health of Canadian communities, often in isolated regions. You are the accounting, finance and audit personnel who pore over the books, invoices and transactions every day to ensure that taxpayers' hard-earned money is spent wisely. And you are the scientists and agricultural inspectors who safeguard our nation's food supply. In short, you are a dedicated and principled group of public servants, some 170 000 strong, who serve this country in ways too numerous to mention but all of crucial importance for Canadians' well-being.

With this in mind, I want to take this opportunity to offer all of you here today - and those you represent back in the workplace - the most heart-felt thanks of my government and a grateful nation for your hard work, dedication and professionalism.

However, the excellent federal public service we see today did not just appear out of thin air and cannot be taken for granted. It was rather built up over the generations by good policies, good practices and good people. And a number of difficult challenges had to be addressed along the way. For example, historians tell us that early on in our history, when Canada was still in its infancy, all was not well with our fledging civil service, as it was then called. Political appointments and cronyism had eroded staff morale and damaged the public's perception of the institution, which many suspected had become corrupt and a haven for patronage.

Aware that the system was not working as it should, parliamentarians undertook a number of reforms, including:

• the creation in 1908 of the Civil Service Commission to monitor and regulate appointments and promotions and ensure that they were based on merit;
• and the passage in 1918 of the Civil Service Act to clarify its mandate and the procedures it was to follow.

Together, these two measures - the Civil Service Commission and the Civil Service Act - laid the foundation for the highly professional and non-partisan organization that is today's federal public service.

More recently parliament passed the public service modernization act and new public service employment act - both of which have a great deal to say about how authority is delegated within the public service and how we protect the merit principle in hiring and promotion.

While these have all been important steps, we still clearly face challenges today in ensuring for the public the highest standards of integrity, effectiveness and accountability. You are all aware that the public image of the Government of Canada has been damaged in recent years by a number of high-profile revelations of waste and abuse, the most prominent of which was the sponsorship scandal. Not surprisingly, Canadians were very upset by these revelations and have told us - the politicians, that is - that they want the system fixed.

And I have no difficulty in telling them that public servants have been no less upset and also want the system fixed.

Let me be clear: neither I nor my government blame public servants for what happened.

There have been some who have tried to suggest that the responsibility falls on your shoulders. As a consequence, they responded by imposing an ever expanding number of rules and regulations to restrict the ability of public servants to make and to execute the decisions you are paid to undertake. To my mind, this approach couldn't be more wrong. You didn't cross the line. Your political masters did.

• to enhance effectiveness, to reward integrity,
• to give responsibility and to require accountability.

In this way, we can give Canadians the clean and honest government that they expect and deserve. And that is precisely what we will do when we pass the federal accountability act in the very near future.

And that is what we intend to do - by making the federal accountability act, along with a companion action plan, the first priority of our new government when parliament returns.

Basically, what we hope to do is to replace the so-called culture of entitlement of the previous regime with a new culture of accountability and to change the way business is done in Ottawa forever.

This act will deliver positive change for federal public servants.

It will improve your lives by improving the fairness of the system. For example, we don't think it's right that political staffers can be parachuted into top jobs - in effect, pushing their way in front of you to take jobs for which you have prepared yourself for years. That's not fair. And we're going to put a stop to it.

So from now on promotions will be based on your qualifications and your performance - not on your political connections.

We will take principles of merit beyond core public service jobs and apply them to the thousands of cabinet and ministerial appointments that are made each year. That is why from day one we have insisted that all appointments be based on merit. And that is why we are going to formalize the process by putting in place a public appointments commission, with a view to:

• establishing merit-based criteria for all appointments to head up federal agencies, boards and commissions; and
• ensuring that competitions for these posts are widely publicized and equitably administered.

As you know, we have already taken steps to return diplomatic appointments to non-political professionals whenever appropriate. Our new public appointments commission will not only ensure that qualified people are appointed based on a fair process, but that politically appointed positions be eliminated where they are unnecessary.

We all know that no organization as large as the federal public service will ever be perfect or devoid of bad actions. Through the federal accountability act, we want to ensure that those public servants who wish to report unethical or illegal behaviour they witness in government can do so without suffering retribution.

And so the act will:

• ensure that all Canadians who report government wrongdoing are protected, not just public servants;
• remove the government's ability to exempt crown corporations and other bodies from the act;
• and ensure that whistleblowers have access to the courts and that they are provided with adequate legal counsel.

The aspects of the federal accountability act that I just mentioned will have a positive and direct impact on the public service. But I know that several other parts are also of interest. For example:

• the fact that more authority will be vested in independent officers of Parliament, including the Auditor General, and that their appointment will be based on a consensus among the political parties;
• the review of contracting rules, and changes to these rules, so that the government procurement process is free of political interference;
• the $1 000 annual ceiling on donations to federal political parties and their candidates, and the ban on contributions by corporations and unions;
• measures to strengthen access to information, along with a large number of additional proposals which will be provided to parliamentarians in the form of a draft bill for their further input; and
• the elimination of so-called «venetian blind » trusts. Ministers will either have to put their business interests in genuine trusts or divest their assets outside of their families.

As I said earlier, my government values both private wealth creation and public service - both are noble callings. But the mixing of the two is not.

We are determined to end the revolving door syndrome so often seen in the past involving ministers' offices, the senior public service, and the lobbying industry. We will ban those in these positions from lobbying the federal government for five years after they leave office. We will clarify and strengthen the lobbyists registration act and the powers of the registrar and we will legislate a clear conflict of interest code.

As you can see, these changes - and many others contained in the act - will bring about a dramatic change in how federal politics and government work in this country. But for this to work we will need your help and active cooperation - since you are the experts when it comes to the day-to-day realities and operations of the federal government.

Canada is a country that is strong, united, independent and free.

That legacy was built in no small part by generations of dedicated and loyal public servants. My government wants federal institutions that are, and are widely perceived to be, effective, clean and accountable. This means that I will be relying on you - Canada's federal public servants - to help us provide services at home and leadership around the world.

My administration and I are eager to work with you in order to offer Canadians the sound, efficient and accountable government that they expect and deserve.

Thank you.

* * * * * * * * * *

All News