Values and Ethics in the Public Sector

Description

Public service is built on a foundation of values and ethics. This course explores the unique ethical responsibilities that exist for public servants and, through dynamic discussions and real-world case studies, offers a practical how-to guide for applying values and ethics on a daily basis. We'll cover the following topics and more: individual responsibility and accountability in the public service; the implications of the doctrine of ministerial responsibility for public service accountability; the differences between whistle-blowing and leaking; considerations for public servants when posting on social media; the effects of polarization, disinformation, and hyper-partisanship for public sector work; the need for cultural competency; and, the effects of generational turnover for public sector culture.

Duration

• 3 hours, including brief breaks to maintain engagement and facilitate learning absorption.

Facilitators

Lori Turnbull is a Professor in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University.  Her teaching and research focus on parliamentary politics and government, public sector ethics, and democratic health and reform. She is a frequent commentator on CBC, CTV, and Global news networks, is a contributing writer to Policy magazine, and a member of the board at the Parliamentary Centre. From 2015 to 2017, she was seconded to the Privy Council Office, first as a policy adviser in the Machinery of Government Secretariat, then as departmental liaison to the Office of the Minister of Democratic Institutions, and finally as a policy adviser at the Priorities and Planning Secretariat. She is the co-author of Democratizing the Constitution: Reforming Responsible Government, which won the Donner Prize and the Donald Smiley Prize.