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Prime Minister's Speech at the Public Service Achievement Awards
5 March 2008
Ottawa, Ontario
Your Excellency, distinguished guests, parliamentary colleagues, and dear honourees,I want to begin by thanking Her Excellency the Governor General for her graciousness in hosting the 2007 Outstanding Achievement Awards here at Rideau Hall. I'm pleased to have this opportunity today to recognize some of the most talented members of the Public Service of Canada. The presentation of the Public Service's highest honour is especially relevant at this time.
Our government, together with the Clerk of the Privy Council, has embarked on an agenda of public service renewal, in order to capitalize on the tremendous strengths of the Public Service of Canada. This will ensure that Canada's political institutions will continue to respond effectively to Canadians' needs and expectations. To that end, we must continue to attract talented people to the Public Service of Canada and recognize those who demonstrate talent and exceptional effort.
This year's recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Award have earned this recognition. The leadership of Michael Horgan has helped Canada develop policies related to increasing energy efficiency, improving indoor air quality and, of course, the development of a comprehensive policy framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. I should just mention that Michael has worked closely with the Cabinet on this; an enormous undertaking. We have been enormously well served in the press by those efforts.
As our ambassador to Thailand, Denis Comeau represented Canada during the tsunami of 2005. His calm, considered response to that tragedy inspired all those who worked with him to locate the 3000 Canadians in harm's way.
Dr. Christina Cameron has been a tireless advocate for the preservation and promotion of Canada's built heritage. She has worked with all levels of government to create a registry of these monuments, landmarks and buildings throughout Canada, and to develop guidelines for their use and preservation. Phil Amundson has coordinated Canada's response to ten cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. It's called BSE. He developed Canada's coordinated response to ten cases of BSE in the West, as well as two massive outbreaks of avian influenza in poultry in British Columbia.
His strong leadership helped maintain the confidence of Canadians and our trading partners in Canada's food supply. Dr. Calvin Wayne Linwall has devoted his career to helping farmers realize the economic and environmental benefits of conservation tillage and raised awareness of the value of conservation tillage as a carbon sink worth credit in the emerging carbon emissions market.
I also want to thank the members of this year's selection committee for identifying these extraordinary honourees. And I would like to conclude by thanking all members of the Public Service for their hard work and dedication.
No government of any partisan stripe can maintain and build a strong, united and secure Canada without the assistance of a professional, capable public service committed to the public interest. The recipients of these Outstanding Achievement Awards owe much of their success to the networks and the teams they have all inspired, who are all members of the outstanding Public Service of Canada. Thank you.
