Post Davos – Part I.
While I would prefer to chat about the recent decision by the Federal Court of Appeal re the invocation of the Emergence Measures Act, I know it would only cause my Central Canadian (or more precisely my Ottawa) friends untold grief if not sadness and angst. Therefore I am going to move on to another contemporary topic, that of our PM’s speech to the world gathering in Davos (why couldn’t they have met closer to Penticton, so I could have sat in?).

First of all, let me be clear: this was an excellent speech, this was a banker’s speech. How can I say that with a straight face? Because on a lesser stage I have been given that speech probably a dozen times during my more public corporate as well as my private professional corporate days by more local bankers who wanted me to seriously understand the world that we were facing at those particular times. I applaud Dr. Carney (because I respect his doctorate no matter what some off-piste critics may say, because it was awarded by a credible institution) for having the fortitude to say what needed to be said. Let’s get over the hope that something will get better in the USA any time during this current presidency. Let’s forget the notion that there may be a semblance of rationality emerging from the White House if we just wait long enough. It’s like waiting for ice to quit melting when one puts it in a cup of hot chocolate if you just are willing to wait it out. It is NOT going to happen: the current normal is for abnormality to rule and irrationality to be the name of the daily game. And we aren’t going back to something that was more comfortable any time soon.

The real issue, and thus the challenge, is what ought we to do about ourselves going forward? And this is where I am going to give you some snippets of advice that can form your next letter to your MP or even to the federal cabinet.
• There is a need to significantly reduce the bloated federal public service – thanks to our previous prime minister we have far to many doing far too little with far too few tangible results!
• However, these layoffs are not the calamity that the public service unions are screaming it is. We require a major upgrade in our military services and since all these laid off people claim they are both talented and essential, send them immediately to the nearest military recruiting centre and figure out what they can do next.
• Now some might not like the prospects of spending time north of the Arctic Circle, but once they’ve adapted to three weeks on, two weeks off, they will find that getting a decent pay cheque along with working with many similar laid-off colleagues is actually cool; and, they will get the opportunity to work in an innovative work environment which should be the desire of any serious employee.
• For those who wonder if a federal bureaucrat can adjust, let me reverse the example: I know a number of military people, that after their term of service ended, managed to move into the private and/or public sectors and contribute significantly. They were revitalized, they brought different but needed skills, they also brought discipline.
• So if military veterans can make contributions to the private/public sectors, I’m sure that public servants can have significant impacts in our military (after all, they understand Ottawa, they have been through budgeting & procurement challenges, and they understand loyalty to The Crown) – might even lead some of them to eventually think of things they could do better in the private sector if not in the military itself!
• Just imagine the boost to our economy if we had a renewed military with countless new recruits who were already mature & well-seasoned and with deeply-embedded knowledge about how bureaucracy works, who then after three to five years decided to move into the private sector (perhaps even supplying services to the military in the Arctic.

So federal cabinet, waste no time at all showing compassion for the laid off and demonstrating that the PM’s speech was not simply a collection of words. Get the transfers in place. Get the military leadership not only on board but doing the orientation and re-assignment of these people. Don’t let them suffer on E.I. but rather let them before the first faces of our new place in the defence of ourselves. And, in particular, make sure anyone under the age of thirty-five, is assessed for particular leadership roles that could be carried out as Sergeants, Captains, Rear Admirals or whatever. These should immediately be offered the opportunity to enroll in one of our military colleges for a special one or two year graduate course in military leadership.

In reflection,
g.w.