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Speech by
Lucienne Robillard,
President of the Treasury Board, and
Member of Parliament for Westmount-Ville-Marie
February 14, 2002
Ottawa
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to be speaking to you this morning. The theme of your
conference is particularly meaningful to me since, as you know, the Prime
Minister has given me the mandate to modernize the management of our human
resources. And it is precisely in these terms that the Government sees
this challenge: how to attract, manage and keep talented people in Canada's
Public Service.
Modernization of human resources management is one of the most
important initiatives underway in government. This was highlighted in the
last Speech from the Throne.
In fact, this is one of the many reasons I was very happy to stay on as
President of the Treasury Board after the recent Cabinet shuffle. I want
to deliver on the Government's commitments - and my own personal
commitment - to make the Public Service the best it can be.
I would also like to emphasize the role of leaders in bringing about
these fundamental changes. When I look out in the audience, I see many
leaders here from all levels of the Public Service, from different levels
of government - leaders who are also agents of change, the carriers of
our organizational culture, and leaders who develop the next generation of
managers in government.
There are also members of our key partners here today. I am pleased
that you have come to share our experiences and knowledge, so we can all
work to make our organizations the best they can be.
I would like to briefly address the challenges we face, the key
elements behind our approach and the options we are exploring.
The pressing need to modernize: an ambitious, but realistic,
challenge
I am very proud of the Public Service we have in place today. Our
employees dedicate themselves every day to helping their fellow citizens,
and our friends and neighbours in other countries. We only have to think
back to occasions like the floods in Saguenay and Manitoba, the Ice Storm
of '98, the Swissair tragedy and, more recently, the September 11th
attacks in the United States to find proof of this. It is no wonder our
Public Service is recognized around the world as one of the best, and is a
source of pride for Canadians.
So when we talk about changing the rules governing how we manage our
human resources, it is important to stress that we are not doing so
because we think the Public Service is deficient. We are making these
changes to ensure that our managers have the tools to keep and develop the
people who are already in place, and attract the talent we need to meet
the demands of an ever-changing world. We are making these changes to
ensure that our employees look upon the work they do with a source of
pride and accomplishment, and are happy to come to work every day. We are
making these changes to ensure that our Public Service continues to
provide the best quality programs and services to Canadians.
None of this can happen under the current human resources management
framework. It is, quite simply put, outdated, archaic and completely out
of step with modern management theories. It is unfortunate that we did not
focus earlier on what, in my view, is the number one resource of any
government: its human resources. No service industry in the private sector
could survive with a human resources system like ours.
Perhaps it is a testament to our managers that they have been able to
build a professional, dedicated Public Service despite a system that is
rigid, and stifles innovative ways of recruiting and retaining employees.
No one should have to bend the rules of a system to make it work
effectively. As we enter the 21st century and face the
challenges that lie ahead, it will become increasingly important for us to
make sure that our managers have the tools and the support they need to
keep and develop the skills of the people we have, and bring the people we
need on board.
We face an ageing population in Canada, and a Public Service that is
growing old as well. Many of our employees are nearing the age of
retirement. We are at risk of losing a significant portion of our
leadership cadre. Having a flexible, innovative human resources framework
will be key to replacing these retiring employees and ensuring we have the
mechanisms in place so we can transfer their knowledge to the next
generation of leaders.
We are also faced with an opportunity to improve our relationship with
our union partners. Our workplace should - and can - be a place of
harmonious labour relations, where a real spirit of co-operation - not
confrontation - leads to frank and constructive exchanges between the
employer and the unions.
We have certainly seen productive employer-union co-operation in the
area of employment equity. Canada is a country that is increasingly rich
in diversity. We must reach out to members of different cultural
backgrounds to attract them to the Public Service. A Public Service made
up of different perspectives and cultures is better able to serve a
diverse country like Canada. However, we must always remember that the
Public Service of Canada is - and always will be - guided by the merit
principle, not by numbers and quotas.
We are also challenged to build an organization based on learning and
the continuous development of our employees. An exemplary workplace is one
that places a high emphasis on ensuring that our people are given the
right tools and training for their personal and professional development.
In today's ever-changing world, we must always remain on the cutting
edge so we are able to meet the demands placed upon us while fostering
innovation.
All of these challenges are driving our ongoing efforts to modernize
human resources in the Federal Public Service. Ranald Quail and the Task
Force on Modernizing Human Resources Management in the Federal Public
Service have been tasked with bringing forth recommendations for
legislative change. The Government intends to table legislation in the
House of Commons next fall.
We are also undertaking a number of reforms that will complement the
work being done right now by the Task Force. One of these is a reform of
our classification system. The current system does not reflect the
incredibly diverse nature of work in the Public Service. It hinders
employees' professional development and advancement, and is not gender
neutral. In fact, it impedes our ability to compete in a changing labour
market.
Our challenge is to develop a modern classification system that is
flexible and adaptable, contributes to a diverse workforce, is gender
neutral, and improves our ability to recruit and retain the people we
need. This is not an easy task! Those of you who work in the Federal
Government are aware that our efforts have been on-going for quite some
time now, and I can understand your scepticism. Therefore, I am happy to
say that the Treasury Board Secretariat will make an announcement this
spring on how we will proceed.
So as you can see, there are many reasons why overhauling our human
resources system is necessary, and must happen now. This has been pointed
out in two Auditor General's reports - one which went so far as to say
that we face a "potential crisis" if we do not get our act
together.
But, more importantly, our employees and managers are demanding change.
I travelled across the country last summer to speak with regional
employees, managers and union representatives about human resources
modernization. Everyone told me that this reform was long overdue. They
provided a lot of excellent feedback, on which the Task Force is focusing
while preparing its recommendations. Our employees, our managers, and our
bargaining agents expect a lot from this initiative, and so they should.
Evolving themes and directions
The government is truly committed to modernizing its human resources
management framework. In fact, many of you have probably experienced the
frustrations of dealing with our current system first-hand. And I'm sure
many of you are wondering what this new system will look like. Let me tell
you some key directions we are moving in.
I think if I had to come up with one sentence to sum up what our new
human resources management framework would look like, it would be this:
"A streamlined, decentralized system that empowers our managers, and
is based on trust, respect and accountability."
This obviously is an oversimplification. But here is what I mean when I
say that.
Our current system has little faith in managers, and is stifling them
with processes and outdated rules. We must encourage them and give them
the proper tools to make their own decisions about their employees. This
includes more responsibility for their hiring and learning and
development, while relying on the expert advice of human resources
professionals to guide them. We must trust all players to do the best job
they can for their organizations and conduct themselves accordingly.
Preserving a human resources regime that is based on merit,
non-partisanship, representativeness, bilingualism and competence
necessitates a strong foundation in values and ethics. Many people have
told me how important this is to them. The values of integrity, fairness,
respect, accountability, competence and merit will be built into the new
human resources management framework. We must instill these values in our
people, so they know exactly what is expected of them.
I know there has been a lot of attention devoted recently to the issue
of whether a decentralized system would open the door to personal
favouritism in hiring. Let me state for the record that this will not be
tolerated. In other words, it will be zero tolerance! While we firmly
believe it is important to put more responsibility in the hands of
managers and trust them to do a good job, we are also putting in place
accountability frameworks and safeguards to make sure that the hiring of a
new person be first and foremost based on that person's qualifications.
Accountability and safeguards are certainly nothing new. I can think of
several oversight organizations and measures right now - the Public
Service Commission, the Public Service Staff Relations Board, the Canadian
Human Rights Commission, the Commissioner of Official Languages, the
Public Service Integrity Officer, our new policy on Internal Disclosure,
and our 17 bargaining agents - who help us monitor staffing, among other
things. This valuable oversight function may be changed but it will not be
lost in the new regime.
Another important safeguard will be a simplified recourse system. Right
now we have in place 12 recourse mechanisms. That is far too many. We will
be taking steps to provide protection for our employees from any decisions
based on bad faith, arbitrariness or discrimination. This process will be
streamlined so that it does not take years to resolve a grievance, which
means making use of such methods as Alternative Dispute Resolution, for
example, to handle issues where they should be - at the lowest level
possible.
As you can see, the changes we are bringing about will have a
significant and positive impact on the lives of our employees. So it
follows that we will be looking to consult more with our union partners,
as representatives of the more that 145,000 employees who make up the
Federal Public Service. I made reference earlier to the need to build a
relationship based on mutual respect and co-operation. I think we can go
one step further. There needs to be a spirit of true partnership that
includes identifying issues together, shaping options together, and
identifying best solutions together. But this must be balanced with our
need to be able to do our job and make decisions in the best interests of
Canadians. We cannot have a system that may become paralyzed when
decisions need to be made.
All of what I've just told you speaks to a need for a fundamental
culture shift within the Federal Public Service. Admittedly, we have been
entrenched for far too long in living with the current system, instead of
working with a human resources management framework that empowers our
managers and enables our employees. In short, we must "think outside
the box". We are going to have to build up a spirit of trust and
respect with our managers, our employees, our bargaining agents, and our
partners in the public sector to learn from each other and grow together.
Conclusion
The massive change that is coming about is one that will be driven by
leaders in and around the Public Service - deputies and heads of
agencies, executives, managers, human resources professionals, unions and
our employees. I am committed to bring about the legislative,
institutional and policy changes we need to remain a competitive
organization in the 21st century. It is a complex process, and
I know that in the end we cannot make everyone happy with what we decide.
I am, however, convinced it will be to the benefit not just of Public
Service employees, managers and union partners - but also to the benefit
of all Canadians, because serving Canadians is our reason for being!
Most of you in the audience will be profoundly affected by these
changes. Many of you have probably already given some indication of your
thoughts and suggestions in regard to this initiative on modernizing the
Public Service. You can start preparing for the coming changes right now.
You might sit down with the union representative in your area and discuss
some issues of importance to your employees, and what you can do about it.
You might talk to the managers who report to you about their new level of
responsibility and discuss what you can do together to prepare for a new,
decentralized staffing process. Whatever steps you might take, I have
every confidence that you can and will lead your people through these
changes with the excellence that is a hallmark of our Public Service.
Thank you again for inviting me to be a part of this conference. I wish
you the best today, and hope you all come away having learned more from,
and about, each other.
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