Deputy Minister Leadership Reflections Series: Margaret Bloodworth
Disclaimer: The summaries and interpretations provided on this page are unofficial and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS).
Summary
- Margaret Bloodworth was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which was Canada’s fourth largest city at the time and featured on major entertainment circuits, giving residents a big city experience during the 1950s and 1960s
- Growing up in an era with many children on every block and mothers at home provided freedom and safety for kids, though the speaker acknowledges this arrangement wasn’t ideal for the mothers
- The speaker witnessed significant Canadian political moments, including the introduction of the new flag and a visit by René Levesque to the University of Winnipeg, where despite political differences, civil discourse prevailed
- After attending the University of Winnipeg and briefly the University of Manitoba for education, the speaker moved to Ottawa when her husband got a government job, viewing it as an adventure
- The speaker’s career began working for a bank, then the Post Office in Compensation when it was still part of the Government of Canada, before taking leave to attend law school in 1974
- At a regulatory agency, the speaker held four different positions over ten years, progressing from lawyer to General Counsel, including time attached to Transport Minister Mazankowski’s office developing new railway economic regulations
- The transition to the Privy Council Office came through a call from Ward Elcock, requiring the speaker to research what PCO actually did before accepting the position in Legislation House Planning
- The move from a small organization where she was a recognized star to PCO where everyone was accomplished created a humbling first year experience that taught her the importance of recognizing one’s knowledge gaps
- Program Review in the mid-1990s was observed closely from the Deputy Clerk position at PCO, revealing that successful departments like Transport rethought her operations rather than simply cutting services
- Transport Canada succeeded during Program Review because leaders like Jocelyne Bourgon had begun transformation thinking early, combined with Minister Doug Young and Deputy Nick Mulder’s readiness for major changes
- Government transitions represent special democratic moments that shouldn’t be taken for granted, as smooth power transfers don’t occur in most countries around the world
- The 1993 transition from Campbell to Chrétien involved undoing previous government initiatives like Pearson Airport privatization while simultaneously preparing new legislative agendas within tight timeframes
- Understanding and taking seriously all government promises, even seemingly impractical ones, requires significant preparation work during election campaigns to provide implementation options and identify potential challenges
- The speaker’s appointment to Transport Canada as incoming Deputy Minister was planned by Jocelyne Bourgon, though Nick Mulder’s earlier-than-expected retirement accelerated the timeline from October to January
- The three to four month transition period at Transport provided valuable learning opportunities about a large, geographically dispersed department of approximately 12,000 people
- During the speaker’s tenure, significant organizational changes occurred as Nav Canada and airports became independent entities, reducing department size to six or seven thousand employees
- The department experienced demoralization as employees described themselves as “the rest” after major components like airports, Nav Canada, Air Canada, and CN departed the organization
Actionable Advice
- Take advantage of transition periods in new roles by using the time to thoroughly learn about the organization before taking on full responsibilities
- When facing budget cuts or organizational changes, rethink how you approach your work rather than simply trying to do the same things with fewer resources
- Prepare comprehensively during election campaigns by organizing materials that are understandable to newcomers and identify key priorities for incoming leadership
- Take all political promises seriously during transitions, even ones that seem impractical, and prepare implementation options with potential challenges clearly identified
- Use the knowledge that you don't know everything as a starting point for growth when entering new leadership positions
- Involve yourself in transition planning when possible, as it provides valuable experience and perspective on democratic processes
- When organizations undergo major restructuring, focus on transformation rather than simply cutting existing services
- Maintain multiple planning tracks when uncertain about election outcomes to be prepared for different scenarios
- Learn from both successful and unsuccessful examples when implementing major organizational changes
- View challenging career transitions as learning opportunities rather than just obstacles to overcome