The Prime Ministers Series—a partnership between the University of Ottawa Professional Development Institute and the Canada School of Public Service—highlights transformative policy initiatives of Canadian Prime Ministers. The purpose of this annual event is to inform, educate and inspire policy makers and public service leaders to conceive and deliver change.

The series began in 2019 with the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, who generated insightful discussions on delivering transformative change for Canadians. The 2020 event featured the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien who provided a riveting conversation on delivering concrete results for Canadians.

PDI and the Canada School look forward to the 2021 edition of PM Series that will feature the Right Honourable Paul Martin.

At the 2020 event the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, reflected on his experiences as Prime Minister of Canada. The daylong conversation about “Delivering Results for Canadians” offered exclusive insights from speakers who were close to the action and share lessons learned for the modern public service while exploring 4 nation-building themes that evoked tough choices and fierce resistance:

1. From Deficit to Surplus 
2. From Brain Drain to Brain Gain 
3. Conversation with a Prime Minister
4. National Unity: From the 1995 Referendum to the Clarity Act
5. The Chrétien Doctrine and the Decision to Keep Canada out of the Iraq War
6. Looking to the Future

Event information

This event is offered to all public servants at all levels, academics and to the public.

• The early-bird registration price is $395 per person (plus HST)
• Effective February 1, 2020, the price will increase to $450 per person (plus HST)
• Both prices include lunch

Date and time:             March 3, 2020 | 8:45 am to 4:30 pm (EST)
                                       EVENT PROGRAM

Language:                    Bilingual, with interpretation in both official languages
                                       Sign language interpretation (American and Quebec)  
                                       CART speech-to-text transcription services will be provided

Location:                      Shaw Centre, Trillium Room, 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa

Masters of Ceremonies and Hosts

Serge Blais - Executive Director, Professional Development Institute, University of Ottawa

Annie Champagne - Director General, Government of Canada and Public Sector Skills, Learning Programs Branch, Canada School of Public Service

Jacline Nyman - Vice-President, External Relations, University of Ottawa 

Taki Sarantakis - President, Canada School of Public Service

Speakers and Contributors by Panel

Conversation with a Prime Minister

The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien -  former Prime Minister of Canada

Bob Plamondon - Consultant, independent director and author of The Shawinigan Fox: How Jean Chrétien Defied the Elites and Reshaped Canada

From Deficit to Surplus

The Honourable John P. Manley - Senior Business Advisor, Bennett Jones LLP; former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finance Minister, and Industry Minister; former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada

The Honourable Wayne Wouters - Strategic and Policy Advisor, McCarthy Tétrault LLP; former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet

Peter Donolo - Vice Chairman at Hill + Knowlton Strategies; former Director of Communications to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien

Moderator: Tonda MacCharles - Senior reporter, Ottawa Bureau, Toronto Star
 

From Brain Drain to Brain Gain

Paul C. Genest - Senior Vice-President, Power Corporation of Canada; former Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Ontario Universities and former Director of Policy and Research to The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien

Edward Goldenberg - Partner, Bennett Jones LLP; former Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada and the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff

Martha Piper - Former President and Vice-Chancellor, University of British Columbia

Moderator: Anne McIlroy - Executive Director, Strategic Engagement, University of Ottawa; former parliamentary bureau chief, The Globe and Mail
 

National Unity: From the 1995 Referendum to the Clarity Act

Recorded Observation from The Honourable Jocelyne Bourgon -  President, Public Governance International; President Emeritus, Canada School of Public Service; former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet

The Honourable Pierre Pettigrew - Executive Advisor, International, Deloitte Canada and the Government of Canada’s Special Envoy for the Canada–European Union Trade Agreement; former Minister for International Cooperation, Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Minister of Human Resources Development, Minister for International Trade, Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister of Health, and Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Honourable Allan Rock - President Emeritus, University of Ottawa, and Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa; former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations; former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister of Health and Minister of Industry

Edward Goldenberg - Partner, Bennett Jones LLP; former Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada and the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff

Moderator: Carissima Mathen - Full Professor of Law, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law; author of Courts Without Cases: The Law and Politics of Advisory Opinions and co-editor of Women, Law and Equality: A Discussion Guide
 

The Chrétien Doctrine and the Decision to Keep Canada out of the Iraq War

Margaret Bloodworth - Honourary Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa; former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet; former Deputy Minister of Public Safety, Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Deputy Minister of Transport

Claude Laverdure - Honourary Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa; former Canadian ambassador to France; former Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister and Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet for Foreign and Defence Policy

The Honourable John P. Manley - Senior Business Advisor, Bennett Jones LLP; former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finance Minister, and Industry Minister; former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada

Moderator: Jeffrey Simpson - Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa; author, and former national affairs columnist, The Globe and Mail

Looking to the Future

Margaret Bloodworth - Honourary Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa; former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet; former Deputy Minister of Public Safety, Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Deputy Minister of Transport

Ron Fonberg - Distinguished Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy; former Deputy Minister in the Privy Council Office, Deputy Minister at International Trade, and Deputy Minister at National Defence

Daniel Watson - Deputy Minister, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs

Moderator: Taki Sarantakis - President, Canada School of Public Service