Register Now

Join Our Mailing List

Instructor

Gerry Maffre

Gerry Maffre has over twenty years experience in delivering and managing government communications. Gerry has worked in Canada and overseas, and has served in senior positions such as the Communications Director General for both Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Infrastructure Canada.

read bio

Instructor

Josef Jurkovic

Josef Jurkovic is a CEC director and founding partner. He has over 35 years of public and private sector experience across diverse areas of internal and external communications, public consultations, branding and marketing.

read bio

When, Where How much?

When: Date not set

Where: 1900 Merivale Road,
Suite 206, Ottawa

How much: $1350 (+tax)

Navigating The Rideau Canal: How Ottawa Works (G084)

Complete List >Navigating The Rideau Canal

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

An understanding of the structures and processes of the Government of Canada is essential to the effectiveness and professional success of all public servants. This is especially true in times of change and evolution of the Public Service of Canada and its interactions with the diverse institutions and organizations which are part of the federal government landscape.

Moreover, the landscape is continuously shifting and moving in response to social, economic, technological and political developments, changing Canadian society in complex and challenging ways. This course is focussed on the roles of the many players in Ottawa and beyond, how they interact together and the impact they have upon your work.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This is a practical, highly interactive workshop useful to anyone working in the federal government environment and who wants to understand the impact upon their job of the players, processes and interactions involved. Whether you are a policy analyst, program manager, communicator, corporate planner, advisor, audit and evaluation specialist or new to such positions or to the Public Service, this workshop will provide you with a solid knowledge and understanding of the intersection points between your own organization and the rest of the government machinery and the impact on your work.

Participants will be asked to complete and submit a pre-course questionnaire to help the instructor appropriately focus course content and delivery approach, and to identify specific questions for workshop discussion and exercises.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

Whatever your specific area of responsibility, this two day workshop will, through interactive presentations, discussions, shared experiences and exercises:

provide an understanding of the structures and processes of Canada's machinery of government and its interactions with your own department's or agency's portfolio;
clarify key concepts, policies and processes associated with the machinery of government;
provide you with an understanding of the implications for your work of the interactions between the various players involved within and without the Government of Canada;
increase your knowledge and appreciation of the diverse horizontal implications and relationships between the key organizations of government and your own institution;
increase your ability to identify and analyze the key intersection points between your own set of responsibilities and the rest of the government; and
help you anticipate portfolio issues and avoid unnecessary surprises.

WHO WILL YOU LEARN FROM?

Course instructor Gerry Maffre is a former federal public service senior manager with wide experience of the operation of the Government of Canada. He has worked in Canada and overseas in departments such as Citizenship and Immigration, Infrastructure Canada and Environment Canada and has central agency experience together with many years of working with provincial, territorial and municipal governments. Mr. Maffre will draw upon his experience to deliver a rigorous, interactive and practical course informed by years of dealing with the realities of government as a public servant against a constantly evolving federal landscape. Moreover, the course has also benefited from the experience of other former public servants members of the CEC team.

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY?

Workbook with checklists, references, exercises

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMPETENCY

Excellence Through Results: Delivering through own work, relationships and responsibilities
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tal/kcl/ekl-eng.asp

Agenda Day 1
8:45 - 9:00	Introductions and Workshop Overview
The Government of Canada: What do I need to know and why?
9:00 - 9:45	I Parliament The Senate and the House of Commons Numbers, appointment, election, internal structure, responsibilities. Key intersection points with departments and agencies The Parliamentary Year and the Legislative and Regulatory Processes What happens when - normal sittings and cycles; Speech from the Throne; first reading; second reading and committee stage; third reading in Commons; to the Senate and its process; Royal Assent; proclamation/coming into force. The budgetary cycle and process. The Main Estimates. Accountability and accountability offices and instruments. Committees Role and composition; the committee Clerk, reports, sittings when the House of Commons/Senate in/not in session. Key intersection points with departments and agencies Members of Parliament/Senators The role of the MP and related issues. Library of Parliament. Key areas of interaction between MPs, Senators and government departments and agencies. Question Period When it's held and how it works: Commons and Senate. Political Parties Influence of and means to influence. The key areas of interaction with the public service. II The Crown The Queen and the role and functions of the Crown; the Governor-General. Examples of the Crown's role in contracting and litigation. III The Judiciary The Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court and Provincial Courts.
9:45 - 10:00	IV Implications for my Work - Impact and Intersection Points
10:00 - 10:30	V Exercise/Q&A
10:30 - 10:45	Break
10:45 - 11:15	VI The Administration The Prime Minister - the Prime Minister's Office Ministers Office structure and staffing (Ottawa/riding); internal operations; interaction with the department. Ministers of State Roles and responsibilities, interactions with departments Parliamentary Secretaries Role and responsibilities of parliamentary secretaries; representing the minister; key link between ministers and parliamentarians. Cabinet and its Committees The roles of Cabinet and its committees and the decision-making processes involved; appointments. Key intersection points with departments and agencies. Departments, Crown Corporations, Tribunals The policy and program development process; departmental structure; the regional imperative; ATIP and other issue-driving processes; relation to tribunals (specific and general); portfolios and horizontality. Crown Corporations Range/type; reporting structures; boards; planning cycles and differences. The Public Service Professional public services competencies; values and ethics
11:15 - 12:00	The Central Agencies - Privy Council Office Prime Minister's department; the hub of public service support to the Prime Minister and Cabinet and its decision-making structures; the role of the Clerk; direction-setting; coordination/horizontality. Key intersection points with departments and agencies. - Treasury Board Secretariat Role, administrative policy setting; fundamental Public Service principles; Comptroller General. Key intersection points with departments and agencies.
12:00 - 12:15	VII Implications for my Work - Impact and Intersection Points
12:15 - 13:00	Lunch
13:00 - 14:00	VIII Case Study: Small Groups Exercise
14:00 - 14:30	The Central Agencies (cont'd) Public Works and Government Services Canada Library and Archives Canada Service Canada Shared Services Canada Key intersection points with departments and agencies.
14:30 - 14:45	Break
14:45 - 15:15	IX Oversight Offices - What do I need to know about them? Roles and key policies; accountabilities; reporting and monitoring Official Languages Commissioner Privacy Commissioner Access to Information Commissioner Auditor General and Environment Commissioner Parliamentary Budget Officer Integrity Commissioner
15:15 - 15:30	X Implications for my Work - Impact and Intersection Points
15:30 - 16:15	XI Mini-Exercise
16:15 - 16:30	XII Wrap-up and Review of Day One
Agenda Day 2
8:45 - 9:15	Day One: Questions and Clarifications
The External Environment: What do I need to know and why?
9:15 - 10:00	I Other Levels of Government: Provincial, Territorial and Municipal Joint Councils, Ministerial bodies, federations and other collaborative institutions. Policies, processes and sensitivities. Key intersection points with departments and agencies.
10:00 - 10:15	II Impact and Intersection Points
10:15 - 10:30	Break
10:30 - 11:15	III Case Study - Small Group Exercise
11:15 - 12:15	IV Media Types of outlets and implications for Government. V Interest Groups and Stakeholders Types; history, nature of work; hierarchy; rules; interactions with bureaucracy; Cabinet; Committees; media. VI The Public Conducting public opinion research and environmental analysis. Consultations.What do we have to know and where do we find? VII Globalization of Domestic Policy and Programs Points of inter-state contact and of multi-lateral contact; organizing Ottawa.
12:00 - 12:30	VIII Implications for my Work - Interactions with and Impact of
12:30 - 13:15	Lunch
13:15 - 14:00	IX Case Study - Small Group Exercise
Pulling it all Together
14:00 - 14:45	I Factors influencing Government Decisions on Policies/Programs Public opinion; budgetary situation; pressure from others (in/out of government); political calculation; party considerations. What to look for, when and where to find it?
14:45 - 15:15	II Thinking Strategically and Critically about Decisions and Advice
15:15 - 15:30	Break
15:30 - 16:15	III Case Study - Small Group Exercise: Making your Pitch - Who to speak to, when and why
16:15 - 16:30	IV Wrap-up and Evaluation Participants will complete a short evaluation