Public Governance Exchange Learning Forum Oversight in the Public Sector: Fostering Effective Relationships

IOG’s Public Governance Exchange (PGEx) will present a two-day learning conference on oversight relationships in the public sector.  This event will bring together senior officials and recognized subject-matter experts from both within and outside government for a multi-faceted, in-depth examination of oversight practices across the Canadian public sector.

Learning Forum Events and Confirmed Speakers

Keynote Debate: “Is the Distribution of Government Responsibilities Undermining our System of Government?”

• Mel Cappe, Professor, School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto
• Maryantonett Flumian,President, Institute on Governance and former Deputy Minister, Service Canada

Panel: The Year in Governance – Surveying the Headlines

• Keith Beardsley, Partner at True North Public Affairs and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Panel: Legislative Oversight – Standing Before the Committee

• Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer
• John Williams, CEO, Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption

Panel: Foresight and Problem Solving in Delegated Relationships – Lessons from the Private Sector

• Todd Cain, Vice-President Public Governance, Institute on Governance
• Terry Ansari, Board Chair, Institute on Governance and Vice-President of Business Solutions, Cisco Canada
• Colleen Kelley, Vice-President Business Operations, Stratford Managers

Panel: Oversight of Crown Corporations – Delivering Value and Respecting Values

• John Knubley, Deputy Minister, Industry Canada
• Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Via Rail Canada
• Susan Margles, Vice-President Government Relations and Policy, Canada Post

Presentation: How Good is Your Governance? The IOG Governance Scorecard

• Todd Cain,Vice-President Public Governance, Institute on Governance

Presentation: Refining the Governance Continuum – Where Do You Fit In?

Learning Outcomes

With the benefit of diverse views from leaders in the public sector, academe, the private sector and media, participants will acquire an enriched understanding of:

• The most recent developments in public sector governance and the underlying trends they reflect;

• The evolution of oversight challenges – rising public expectations of accountability together with increased distribution of government responsibilities;

• The roles of different players in our oversight systems – ministers, parliamentarians and officers of parliament, organizations and their leaders;

• Tools and practices of effective oversight – managing relationships and risks, supporting appropriate alignment between governments and arms’-length organizations, and fostering public service values and ethics in commercial and operational enterprises;

• Lessons from the private sector’s experience in managing relationships with their supply chain partners – clarity of outcomes, communication and transparency, effective planning and risk-management, joint problem-solving, and product design; and

• PGEx’s evolving tools for analyzing inter-organizational relationships, designing governance systems and assessing the quality of governance at both the organizational and systems level.