Navigating the Public Service as a New Public Servant
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
- The session is designed for early career public servants to understand the foundations of a successful government career, focusing on essential concepts like the public good, professional neutrality, and the public service bargain
- Dr. Alex Marland from Acadia University and Dr. Jared Wesley from University of Alberta are both former federal and provincial public servants who co-authored “The Public Servants Guide to Government in Canada”
- The guide was created to help public servants understand how government actually works in practice, bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world application
- Public servants must be non-partisan in their professional roles, setting aside personal political views to serve diligently regardless of which party is in power
- Government is structured as an enormous organization with departments and agencies designed to support ministers, who are the elected officials providing political direction
- The public good is a core motivating principle for public service work, involving helping society and doing good things, but its definition evolves over time and varies by government
- An emerging area of consensus in defining the public good includes respect for treaties, Indigenous rights, and commitments to reconciliation, which looks different across the country
- The public service bargain is a fundamental concept where public servants provide non-partisan advice and loyal implementation to elected officials in exchange for job security and anonymity
- Public servants are not responsible for defining what constitutes the public good - this responsibility belongs to elected officials, cabinet ministers, premiers, and prime ministers
- The role of public servants is to provide quality information and evidence-informed advice to political decision-makers, not to make political decisions themselves
- Public servants must professionally implement decisions even when they personally disagree with them, as long as those decisions are within legal boundaries
- The public service bargain originated in the UK, evolved in the United States, and was adapted uniquely in Canada over centuries
- Fearless advice requires job security and anonymity protection so public servants can provide honest recommendations without fear of retribution or public exposure
- Public servants should focus on evidence-informed decision-making rather than purely evidence-based decision-making, recognizing that ministers must consider multiple factors including political advice and public opinion
Actionable Advice
- Set aside personal political views when performing your job as a public servant and maintain non-partisan professionalism regardless of which party is in power
- Focus on providing competent, capable information that enables collective decisions and actions within government
- Understand how your minister and individual unit interprets commitments to reconciliation so you can effectively support that aspect of the public good
- Provide quality information and evidence-informed advice to decision-makers rather than trying to define what the public good should be
- Accept that you will sometimes disagree with political decisions but must professionally implement them within legal boundaries
- Provide fearless advice by presenting enough information and evidence to allow decision-makers to make informed choices
- Remember that ministers must consider multiple factors beyond just evidence, including political advice, public opinion, and conflicting information from other sources
- Maintain professional integrity both online and offline while serving in your public service role
- Build meaningful partnerships within the government structure to advance collective goals
- Focus on loyal implementation of decisions made by your political masters while maintaining your professional standards