3 Hours
Memorandum to Cabinet Development Process
Description
- As a public servant we know that understanding and properly completing central agency documents can be overwhelming and confusing. When you join Memorandum to Cabinet Development Process, our highly rated facilitators will clearly review and practice the process employed in the development of MCs, as well as give you an appreciation of the purpose, structure and mandate of Cabinet and its key committees.
- We will walk you through each step of the development of the key recommendations for Cabinet consideration and cover the roles played by central agencies in reviewing your Cabinet submissions.
- While both webinars are designed as stand-alone offerings, Memorandum to Cabinet Development Process and Demystifying the Treasury Board Submission Process pair well together as core central agency offerings.
Certificate in Policy and Governance
This course is part of the Certificate in Policy and Governance offered by the institute. While there are no formal prerequisites for this course, we highly recommend that you consider taking the preceding courses or familiarizing yourself with their content. This background knowledge will greatly enhance your learning experience. Please be aware that the instructor may not revisit these earlier topics in order to allocate ample time for the current material.
Learning Objectives:
- You will learn when a MC is required and when it is not
- You will learn and practice the process requirements of a MC, including roles and responsibilities of the key players
- You will learn how the MC template is structured and why; what Ministers want to know
- You will explore what distinguishes a good MC
- You will learn how to effectively draft Ministerial Recommendations
- You will understand how to engage with central agencies in the MC development process
- You will learn how to identify and harness resources found in departmental and other knowledge networks to foster a successful outcome for your submission
- You will have the opportunity to practice developing an MC through an optional exercise you can submit for feedback after the course
Facilitators
Guy Boyd has broad federal public service experience having worked in six different departments in such varied functions as: policy development; planning, reporting, and performance measurement; business case development; provision of advice to ministers and deputy heads; quasi-judicial case management; operational and corporate management; and, training design and delivery (including a stint at the Canada School where he revised and delivered its popular course How Ottawa Works).
Of particular relevance to Central Agency courses, Guy worked for over ten years at the Treasury Board Secretariat as a program sector analyst, director, and executive director. During this time he reviewed and developed advice to ministers on over 500 Treasury Board submissions; worked with other Central Agency colleagues on government-wide initiatives, such as the response to the terrorist events of 9-11, the Economic Action Plan to address the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and various Memoranda to Cabinet; assessed and found solutions to departmental funding pressures and management challenges; and, led Treasury Board Secretariat assessment of program and spending reviews such as the Deficit Reduction Action Plan and Strategic Reviews. Guy was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 in recognition of this work.
Recently retired from the Public Service, Guy remains passionate about public administration and the constructive contributions all public servants can make on behalf of Canadians. To this end, as a consultant and certified coach, he now focuses on supporting public servants through:
- Coaching current and aspiring public service executives (primarily through the Public Service Commission’s Executive Counselling Services) in areas such as career planning, miscellaneous personal and management issues, and competition preparation
- Developing, customizing, and delivering training and development courses and materials
- Writing and developing Treasury Board Submissions, planning documents, reports, and business cases of all kinds
- Helping managers and their teams develop written briefing skills
Linda Savoie, after a somewhat dispersed early career that includes time as a military officer, an aircraft mechanic, a lawyer, an airline manager and a museum educator, Linda stumbled upon the federal public service in the mid-90s.
There she discovered opportunities to influence policy development and implementation in areas of interest such as climate change, civic engagement, and gender equality. For some 25 years, whether at Transport Canada, the Privy Council Office, Canadian Heritage, Status of Women Canada, or Library and Archives Canada, Linda worked closely, as an executive, with Deputy Ministers, Ministers, and political staff.
While all challenges were interesting, she is particularly thankful for having been able to explore the power of partnerships and alliances in advancing gender equality and the role of libraries and archives in community vitality. Since her retirement in 2022, when not skiing or cycling, she continues to serve as Past Chair of the Carlington Community Health Center and assists the board of a new foundation in developing its governance.
