On October 16, Taki Sarantakis, President of the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS), announced the creation of a new permanent Chair dedicated to values and ethics and the promotion of ethical leadership across federal government departments and agencies.

This new role, to be known as the "Ian D. Shugart Visiting Scholar", is named for the late Clerk of the Privy Council, whose storied 30-year career in the federal public service culminated in being appointed Clerk in 2019, before being appointed to the Senate in 2022. Senator Shugart passed away on October 25, 2023.

The announcement was made on the final day of the two-day "What Unites Us, Defines Us: Values and Ethics in Today's Federal Public Service" symposium, hosted by the Privy Council Office and the Canada School of Public Service. The event brought federal public servants together to engage in an interactive discussion on the role of values and ethics in the public service, a conversation that the current Clerk, John Hannaford, launched in September 2023.

The symposium featured more than 20 speakers and panelists with a combined on-site and virtual audience of more than 15,500 federal civil servants from across the country and abroad. Hannaford, who delivered a keynote at the symposium, welcomed the initiative.

The new Chair will focus specifically on helping develop and enrich existing learning and training that encourages decision-making rooted in values and ethics principles particularly at the leadership levels and promote the importance of ethical leadership across government.

The role will also establish linkages between the public sector and academia to help infuse the public service with the latest insights and research, explore best practices in ethics and governance, within Canada and internationally, as well as provide guidance on ethical frameworks in response to emerging challenges like digital governance, social media, and artificial intelligence.

Appointees will serve on a rotational basis, starting in 2025. Successful candidates will bring to bear their experience in public sector values and ethics and associated disciplines, such as governance, federalism, technology, and history.

"Ian was an inspirational colleague and mentor who served Canadians with integrity and excellence. Throughout his career, Ian epitomized what we aspire to be as public servants: committed to excellence serving the public in support of democracy with openness, transparency, and respect."

   John Hannaford, Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet

"The decision to name the new Chair after the late Senator Shugart was two-fold: to honour his memory and to encourage current public servants to embrace the ethical and professional values he demonstrated throughout his career."

   Taki Sarantakis, President of the Canada School of Public Service

Associated links

• What Unites Us, Defines Us: Values and Ethics in Today's Federal Public Service