1.2 About 500,000 men and women have some form of employment in the federal public sector; about 207,000 of those constituted the traditional public service as of March 1996. The federal public service is an institution under pressure to change and adapt: pressure from Canadians, the economic-political environment, and advocates of management reform. All participants in our study were convinced of the importance of building on the strengths of the past to ensure that Canada enters the twenty-first century with a modern, world-class public service.
1.3 Particular attention needs to be given to renewing and rejuvenating the public service work force; resolving long-standing human resource management issues; establishing a more constructive dialogue on performance and partnership; and continuity of leadership and persistence in moving forward.
1.4 The public service faces the challenge of identifying and filling the gaps resulting from recent departures, as well as building the human resource capacity to meet new challenges and provide for a strong public service in the future. Problems with three of the important personnel systems need to be addressed. Various attempts have been made to modernize them but more needs to be done.
1.5 Improved ways of dealing with shortfalls in administrative performance need to be found. An effective public service needs a Parliament and media that can fairly discuss errors in the context of overall performance.
1.6 Persistent and ongoing effort is required to address these challenges. Further discussion and debate are required on the future size and tasks of the public service and on the organizational approach to take.