Prime Minister Stephen Harper today welcomed the sixth report of the Advisory Committee on the Public Service, entitled Moving Ahead: Public Service Renewal in a Time of Change.  The annual report highlights the Committee’s efforts to help advance the renewal of the Public Service and makes recommendations in a number of areas to strengthen the way federal employees serve Canadians.

This year’s report is being delivered at a time when the Public Service is experiencing significant changes.

“Given the current economic and societal realities, it is essential for all organizations, including the Public Service, to re-examine their business methods,” said Prime Minister Harper. “I would like to thank the Advisory Committee for their ongoing work in making the Public Service become more modern, sustainable and efficient moving forward.”

The Committee’s report welcomed recent modernization efforts by the Government of Canada, including the creation of Shared Services Canada and the ongoing progress being made in people management in the Public Service, including the findings of the five-year review of the Public Service Modernization Act.

The report also included three key recommendations: that Government and Public Service leaders be decisive and stay the course in implementing transformative changes, that the recruitment of talented people and the investment in employee training and development continue and that the Public Service take full advantage of new technologies to support its work and the mandate of the organization.

The Advisory Committee is composed of nine eminent Canadians and is co-chaired by the Honourable Paul M. Tellier and the Honourable David Emerson.  It was created in 2006 to advise the Prime Minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council on the renewal and future development of the Public Service.

The sixth report is available at the Clerk’s website http://www.clerk.gc.ca/sixth