GTEC has confirmed Deputies from the Public Service Management Advisory Committee (PSMAC) to Keynote GTEC’s final conference day on the topic of High Performance Government (our 2010 theme).

The Deputies from PSMAC, and its predecessor, TBPAC, have been engaged in GTEC for three years. As a senior committee of deputies, TBPAC has oversight over technology in the federal government. The Deputies will participate in the keynote, but the wider committee has also been invited to participate in a luncheon at GTEC with Keynoter, Tom Ridge. The former Pennsylvania Governor and first head of Homeland Security after 9/11 will be keynoting GTEC on Tuesday, October 6 at the National Arts Centre.

The PSMAC Panel is scheduled as the morning Kickoff Keynote on Thursday, October 8 at the Westin Hotel. The Panelists are:

Chair: Michelle d’Auray, Secretary of the Treasury Board, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

Panelists:
Carole Swan, President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Ian Shugart, Deputy Minister, Environment Canada
Neil Yeates, Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Immigration Canada

When the Deputies were engaged for the Keynote, Michele d’Auray (who incidentally was formerly the CIO of the GoC) asked me to define what we meant by High Performance Government and identify what the audience might be interested in hearing from the deputies. The following is what I provided to her. Regardless of if the deputies speak directly to these questions or not, I am sure the panel will be insightful and speak to what government could look like, in their view, in the future.

GTEC 2010 and the theme of “High Performing Governments”

Since it began 17 years ago, GTEC has always focused on serving Canadians better through information and technology. In the early years, creating high performing networks meant automating government processes and delivering more efficient services on-line.

Governments in Canada were early leaders in “e-government”: delivering services to Canadians on-line. Today, consumers are demanding open access to government services, data and processes because collaboration is becoming a common feature of their business lives and social networks. The relationship between citizens and their governments has changed.

While the world is becoming more open, governments are managing service delivery under the lens of public accountability and transparency. Are we at a crossroads, or can governments be open and collaborative while maintaining public accountability? If so, then what are the policy vehicles available to serve Canadians better within this new paradigm?

Looking forward, what are the key components of high performing public sector organizations? Most governments maintain their own performance management and accountability frameworks, but how will performance be measured by citizens who are increasingly connected and informed.

Hope you can make it! The Session is included with your conference pass.