A critical question is emerging about the geographic and intellectual diversity of Canada's federal public service: does the concentration of policy-making power in the National Capital Region (NCR) truly serve the entire country? This concern arises from an examination of the Public Service Commission of Canada's Annual Report, prompting calls for a significantly wider catchment area for hiring top talent.
The Ottawa Bubble: A Question of Representation
While the majority of public servants do work outside the Ottawa area (53.2%), the crucial policy-making functions are overwhelmingly concentrated within the capital. This reality raises concerns about whether a group drawn largely from one geographic area can adequately represent Canada's vast physical, ethnic, and intellectual diversity. The nation faces complex challenges, and the argument is that solving them requires a broader range of perspectives than what a single region, even one as populous as the NCR, can typically provide.
Hiring Practices and Missed Opportunities
Delving into the report's details reveals potential issues with how the government attracts new talent. Nearly half of all hires in the last year were made through non-advertised processes, which can limit open competition and diversity of applicants. Furthermore, programs designed to bring in young blood, like the Federal Student Work Experience Program, attracted fewer than 10,000 participants. This figure seems low considering the economic anxieties many young Canadians face, for whom stable public service roles could be highly appealing.
Despite these internal practices, demand for federal jobs remains high. Applications surged to 453,250 in the last fiscal year, an increase of 8.7%. In an era of high living costs and global instability, the security of a public service position is a powerful draw. However, the key question remains: who exactly is applying, and from where?
Beyond Demographic Mirrors: The Need for Intellectual Diversity
The Public Service Commission itself has expressed concern that applications from disabled and Indigenous Canadians are below their workforce availability. Conversely, visible minority applications are tracking above their general population share. Yet, the report provides no data on the geographic or intellectual diversity of applicants.
The federal government's hiring philosophy has long emphasized creating a public service that mirrors the Canadian population—a principle rooted in fairness. However, critics like commentator Andrew MacDougall ask whether this approach is sufficiently grounded in evidence-based results. The current period of economic and geopolitical instability presents a historic opportunity. Could the government cast a wider net to attract ultra-ambitious talent—the kind that might otherwise pursue careers in finance or tech—by innovating its hiring strategies?
The core challenge is clear: to build a public service capable of delivering for all Canadians in a complex world, it may be time to look beyond the Ottawa bubble and actively recruit the nation's best and brightest from every corner of the country.
