New task force looks to make public service 'less risk-averse'

Then-CEO of Hydro Quebec Michael Sabia (now Clerk of the Privy Council) speaks to the Canadian Club of Montreal in February 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis /Postmedia

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A group of former high-level public service executives and private-sector CEOs is aiming to advise the government on how it can better execute the priorities of Prime Minister Mark Carney and Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Sabia.

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The Task Force on Modernizing Government, launched last week by executive director David McLaughlin, is focusing on a longstanding challenge within the federal public service: delivery.

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“It’s not meant to figure out how to transform, reform the whole public service,” said McLaughlin, who has held a range of positions in politics and various government bureaucracies, including as senior advisor to former prime minister Brian Mulroney.

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“It’s uniquely focused on how the federal government can improve its capabilities to implement, to get things done.”

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The task force identified three areas that align with the priorities of Carney and Sabia: major projects and infrastructure, Arctic and Northern Sovereignty, and digital government and artificial intelligence.

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The work is based on two “core views,” according to McLaughlin. First, if Canada hopes to make progress on its priorities, it needs a federal government “that works better.” Second, the federal government, as an institution, needs reform.

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“We’re going to look at how the government can be more simplified in terms of decision-making,” he said. “Faster decisions, less rule-bound, less risk-averse.”

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Rather than studying the issue for an extended period and producing a summary report, McLaughlin said the task force will instead issue short reports and recommendations as the year progresses.

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“I’ll call it the speed of need,” he said.

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The task force secured one-time funding from three not-for-profit foundations — the Ivy Foundation, Jarislowsky Foundation and Hewitt Foundation.

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The Ivey Foundation is currently using its endowment to advance Canada’s transition to a net-zero economy; the Jarislowsky Foundation supports education, medicine and the arts; and the Hewitt Foundation funds registered charities and governments “to innovate and positively impact our communities.”

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The group intends to finish its work within the year.

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“We’re going to turn into a pumpkin in a year,” McLaughlin said. “We’re trying to get in, give some practical, actionable advice that is focused, that works, and then move on.”

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Other members include Ian Anderson, former president and CEO of Trans Mountain Corporation; Jody Thomas, former deputy minister of National Defence and National and Security Intelligence Advisor to the prime minister; and Daniel Quon-Watson, former deputy minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs.

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Quon-Watson said he was attracted to the initiative by the “great mix of skill sets and backgrounds” involved.