Speech by Shelly Jamieson, Secretary of the Cabinet

Date: 2011-11-30

Shelly Jamieson, head of the Ontario Public Service and Secretary of the Cabinet, delivered the keynote speech today at the Ombudsman's annual "Sharpening Your Teeth" training course for administrative watchdogs from across Canada and around the world. She spoke about how Ombudsman investigations help strengthen public service.

Speech by Shelly Jamieson, Secretary of the Cabinet
Keynote Speech
Ombudsman Ontario “Sharpening Your Teeth” training course, November 30, 2011

INTRODUCTION

Good afternoon.

Thank you, André [Marin], for your kind words, and for inviting me to be here today. 

It’s great to see folks from my Ontario Public Service team, as well as people from across Canada, and around the world.

 The diversity of this audience reflects the fact that this is a world-class training course. And I’m honoured to be a part of it. 

I’m sure the last three days have provided each of you with lots of information. And insights. As you’ve learned, the Special Ombudsman Response Team takes their work very seriously, and they’re incredibly good at what they do.

 This team applies laser-like precision to scrutinize the work of the public service. So some of you might be wondering what I’m doing here!
 

 A VALUED ALLY

 It might surprise you to know that I consider the Ombudsman among my most valued allies. Let me tell you why.

 Mark Twain once said: “People can’t be comfortable without their own approval.” Well, I would say that: “Government can’t be comfortable without the approval of its Ombudsman!” Because when we’ve got the Ombudsman’s approval — we know we’re on the right track. And when we don’t — we work awfully hard to get it.

 You’ve learned first-hand that Ombudsman investigations are certainly intense. And for good reason. They help to uncover underlying issues and systemic challenges. That ultimately helps us improve our organization. And the services we provide. 

You’ve been learning what it’s like to come in from the outside to conduct an investigation. So, this afternoon, I’d like to turn the tables and tell you what its like to be on the inside.

FRESH PERSPECTIVES

 As the head of the Ontario Public Service, I’m responsible for about 67,000 employees, and services that affect the lives of 13 million Ontarians – each and every day.

 From education to health care, from energy to the environment, I’m proud of the work we do. And I’m constantly impressed by the commitment and expertise of the people within my organization.

 But there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years — in a large organization like ours, the biggest mistake you can make is to believe your own press. Too much back-patting can mask underlying problems, and distract you from seeing areas that need improvement. So it’s important to have fresh perspectives, diverse opinions, and third-party input. 

My organization has the benefit of a variety of expert perspectives and oversights. We have the Ombudsman and his team. We also have the Auditor General, the Integrity Commissioner, the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, and other independent officers of Ontario’s legislative assembly.

 Each and every one of these officers is an essential partner for the Ontario Public Service, and an important tool in my toolkit. Whether they’re making recommendations to better protect citizens’ privacy, promoting high standards of ethical conduct, or – like the Ombudsman – helping to address systemic issues in the delivery of services — these folks are catalysts for positive change, my valued partners, and an important voice for the people of this province.

SEE-THROUGH ORGANIZATION

 Of course, when it comes to working with the Ombudsman and other partners, having a “see-through” organization is critical. Because we can only benefit from fresh perspectives when we’re transparent. 

 Being transparent means more than just opening up your filing cabinets. And your hard drives. It’s about recognizing that our collective goal is to make public services better, and, by working in partnership, we can achieve that goal.

 That requires having honest conversations – about what’s working and what’s not. It also requires a strong commitment to collaboration, and getting all the facts on the table. 

I’m proud of the way my organization has forged strong partnerships with the Ombudsman to do just that. These partnerships not only help to identify systemic issues in the public service, but also to resolve those issues — in a meaningful way.

IMPORTANT PARTNERSHIPS 

You’ve been learning about some of these cases since Monday. And the investigation into non-emergency medical transportation services is a particularly great example. 

As you heard earlier this week, hundreds of thousands of patients use these ambulance look-alikes each year to travel between hospitals, and to and from medical appointments. Complaints showed that patient safety was being put at risk. So, when the Ombudsman launched an investigation, a joint team from the Ministries of Transportation and Health was assigned to support it from the get-go. 

These folks co-ordinated an extensive search for the documents that were needed among all branches of both ministries, they made sure all the facts were brought forward, and they responded to Ombudsman requests, quickly and consistently. 

I’m really proud of the way the Ontario Public Service supported the Response Team. It demonstrates that we take Ombudsman investigations very seriously, and we work hard to support the process. 

So the systemic issues around non-emergency medical transportation are being resolved. And patient safety is being improved, without the need for a full-blown report to get the ball rolling. 

I know that, sometimes, the Ombudsman team needs to bring out the “big guns.” This can result in media attention. And I know it makes great fodder for news stories. Unfortunately, those tend to focus on where problems are. And not the work being done to make things better. This can undermine public confidence and leave the impression that we’re not addressing the issues. 

That’s not what any of us want. 

So with respectful and productive partnerships in place with the Ontario Public Service, I know we’re in a better position to get the work done, together.

THE RECEIVING END

 Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. It’s all well and good to say that we want to make things better for the people we serve. Because we do. But – truth be told – it’s extremely taxing to be on the receiving end of an investigation. And it can feel pretty uncomfortable to be under the Ombudsman’s microscope. 

You see, we work hard in our organization to deliver the best possible service, to hold ourselves to the highest standards, and to protect the public trust. This isn’t easy. In fact, it’s very, very hard. Because in any large organization, things occasionally go wrong. And, in the public service, those unfortunate situations can become, well, quite public. 

So getting the call that André Marin’s team will soon be knocking at your door — well, it can be alarming. And there are some areas in our organization that face constant scrutiny, by the very nature of the work they do.

FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY OFFICE

 Let me give you an example — the Family Responsibility Office serves about 400,000 clients. These clients are grappling with family breakdown, often in bitter situations. So the Family Responsibility Office is responsible for collecting support payments and enforcing support orders. 

The Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for that Office is here today. And I know he won’t mind being singled out. The Family Responsibility Office is challenged to meet competing demands — from the people who think they’re not aggressive enough, to those who think they’re too aggressive. 

It’s a complex business, to say the least. I recently spent some time in the Family Responsibility Office call centre. I saw first-hand how challenging it can be to balance the needs of their clients. I also saw how hard this team works. They’re engaged. And they show tremendous pride in their work. That’s pretty incredible. 

Especially because the Family Responsibility Office has faced years of intense scrutiny — including by the Ombudsman and the Auditor General of Ontario. 

Some important issues have been raised. In some cases, we were not taking adequate measures to collect support payments. And there were issues with how effectively we provided service to clients. 

Now, I fully expect my team to continually review and refine our processes, and to measure the effectiveness of our work on the ground. I also rely on partners like the Ombudsman to tell us when – and where – we’re falling short. All of our checks and balances enable us to make improvements in those areas and strengthen the services we provide.

The team at the Family Responsibility Office takes the tough feedback to heart, and they are rising to the challenge to provide more responsive – and modern – services. 

Today, service at the Family Responsibility Office is improved. For example, call wait times that were once 10 minutes or longer, were down to just over 3 minutes last month. And clients can now reach a single-point-of-contact case worker directly through the call centre. The great team at the Family Responsibility Office continues to work hard to make sure families have the support they need. If you ask the staff about the challenges they face, they’ll tell you: “It’s all about getting resources to the kids.” 

So, while it’s not easy to be in the hot seat, we know that Ombudsman investigations are helping to uncover challenges that we might not have the distance to see, to bring those issues to light, and to make our services more responsive to the people who need them. No matter what, there is always room for improvement.

NO ROOM FOR DUPLICATION 

And that goes both ways. I’m always open to input and constructive feedback. But I expect reasonableness from those who oversee public services. 

Investigations and audits are important. But they take a tremendous amount of public resources, on both sides of the fence. So I have no patience for duplication. If one person is making complaints to several different oversight organizations, filters need to be in place to avoid timely – and costly – overlap. If different oversight bodies want to perform the same audit, steps need to be in place to streamline that work. 

Oversight is essential. But it’s also important that we all protect the public resources we’re using as we work to strengthen the public services we provide.

STRONG ETHICAL FOUNDATION

Of course, as I’ve said, when it comes to making Ontario’s public services stronger, we don’t rely exclusively on our external partners. Because we have a responsibility to make sure we’re serving the public to the very best of our ability. That’s a responsibility we take seriously. 

To me, it starts with embedding strong values into the bricks and mortar of our organization, and building everything up from there. Because our values guide us. And they set the tone for our work.

 In the Ontario Public Service, our values are: Trust. Fairness. Diversity. Excellence. Creativity. Collaboration. Efficiency. And responsiveness. But these are more than just words. And I’m proud of how our organization brings these values to life. 

We work hard to deliver public service excellence. And to protect the public trust.

PUBLIC SERVICE OF ONTARIO ACT 

That’s what the Public Service of Ontario Act is all about. This act came into force in 2007. It lays out the ethical framework for the public service, helps us maintain a high standard of conduct, and provides important safeguards and protections for our employees. 

The Public Service of Ontario Act has it all covered: When it comes to conflicts of interest, the act clarifies where our private interests may be in conflict with our work as public servants. 

When it comes to disclosure of wrongdoing, the act protects public servants who report wrongdoing from reprisal. And, when it comes to political activity, the act balances our role as public servants with our individual rights. 

The roles and responsibilities set out in the act are fundamental. I rely on them every day. And so do the members of my organization.

DOING THE RIGHT THING 

Because being a public servant is not easy. But our ethical foundation helps make sure we’re being honest, accountable and fair, at every turn. Really, it all comes down to that first value — and that’s trust. 

In recent years, we’ve faced situations that compromised the public’s trust in our organization. There were issues of unfair practices in some of our agencies, including eHealth and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. There was also a police investigation into a small number of public service employees for irregular business activities with vendors. 

Now, the vast majority of public servants are hard-working and trustworthy. I have absolutely no doubt about that. But, as I said, mistakes can happen in any large organization. 

So the point is to figure out what happened. Learn from the experience.  Fix the problem so it doesn’t happen again. And then move on — to deliver results and rebuild the trust of the public.  

That’s why we developed an internal campaign to bring our values and ethics back to the forefront. It’s called “Doing the Right Thing.” And it’s an organization-wide campaign that aims to raise awareness about our responsibilities, engage staff on the issues and challenges they might face, and create a meaningful conversation about our important role as public servants. 

Doing the Right Thing has helped to demystify the various rules and directives that govern the Ontario Public Service. And it’s part of our ongoing quest to strengthen our organization and uphold the trust of the public we so proudly serve.

CONCLUSION  

I can’t stress enough the importance of our partnership with the Ombudsman on this journey. The Premier values the Ombudsman’s advice. In fact, he almost universally adopts all the Ombudsman’s recommendations. 

This speaks volumes to the Premier’s commitment and to the Ombudsman’s ability to give practical, relevant advice. 

So, when it comes to making public services the very best they can be, André brings a lot to the table. The Ombudsman’s work leads to real, systemic change, change that makes a real difference for the people of Ontario.

 I want to thank André and his team for their leadership on this front. They’re helping to strengthen public services in Ontario — and around the world. 

By taking part in this session, each of you are, too. I’d be happy to take any questions you might have. Thank you.