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Fixing Phoenix and government delivery culture: Five minutes with Alex Benay, Public Services and Procurement Canada
This interview with Alex Benay, associate deputy minister at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), is part of a ‘Five minutes’ series featuring speakers from AccelerateGOV, taking place in Ottawa on 21 October. During a panel titled Getting your culture fit: How to build a culture that can drive government transformation, he will discuss efforts to…
Canadian public servants frustrated by Phoenix compensation delay
Three former public servants have spoken out about the stress caused by delays to compensation payments they say they are owed after suffering hardship due to the botched Phoenix pay system. One man, who said anxiety caused by pay issues led to a yearlong depression during which he admitted himself to a psychiatric ward and…
Canadian government races to collect Phoenix overpayments as deadline looms
Canada’s federal government is racing to recoup an estimated C$552m (US$433m) in overpayments made to employees as a result of the botched Phoenix pay system before they must be written off by law. The centralised system for processing public service salaries was introduced in 2016. Since then, a series of technical problems and flawed record…
New claims process for staff affected by Phoenix pay failure
A new claims process for federal employees affected by the troubled Phoenix payroll system has been launched by the Canadian government. The new compensation scheme is being implemented “in recognition of the financial impacts that the Phoenix pay system has had on public servants,” the government said. Current and former employees will now be able to…
Michael Wernick on turbulent times for Canada – and its Clerk
Michael Wernick, Canada’s outgoing Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, tells Matt Ross how the civil service is responding to an ever faster, more fractious world; maps out the big challenges ahead; and reflects on a stint in the top job that arrived unexpectedly, and ended abruptly Ever since Michael Wernick…
Pay talks fail with Canadian union PSAC
A week of negotiations between Canada’s largest public sector union and the federal government has failed to produce a deal before the autumn’s federal election, raising the possibility of strike action. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has accused the government of walking away from contract negotiations affecting more than 70,000 federal employees, who…
Canada’s digital chief Alex Benay quits government
Alex Benay has announced he will step down as Canada’s chief information officer next month to “take on new challenge” at tech start-up MindBridge. “It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing my departure from the Government of Canada,” he said on Wednesday in a statement posted on social media, describing his time as…
Canada appoints partners to replace Phoenix pay system
The Canadian government has appointed three tech vendors to test the options for replacing its doomed Phoenix pay system. Last year, the Ottawa administration announced that it would scrap Phoenix and start again, after more than half of the federal government’s 290,000 public servants experienced pay problems. Now, following an agile procurement process, suppliers Ceridian, SAP,…
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Discover independent research reports, surveys and in-depth studies from Global Government Forum and knowledge partners, exploring the most important issues facing governments and the public sector. Our research provides practical insights and evidence-based recommendations for senior civil servants, policymakers and public sector leaders. Our reports combine exclusive survey data, expert analysis and interviews with government leaders from around the world to help public sector organisations improve performance, inform policy and deliver better outcomes for citizens.
Empowering Public Servants to Make Confident, Informed Decisions with Data and AI
Governments around the world are working hard to extract – and act upon – the insights held in their vast data stores, and to embrace AI and the promise it holds for innovation and transformation. At the same time, economic pressures and constrained budgets are compelling public servants to do more with fewer resources, while governments are called to respond quickly and effectively to complex challenges.
Against this backdrop, data and AI can help those working in government both to streamline their workflows and make fast, informed decisions. This in turn drives efficiency and can unlock productivity gains – and ultimately lead to improved performance and better services for citizens.
Global Government Forum surveyed over 600 civil servants worldwide to understand how data and AI are being used in government decision-making and where there are further challenges and opportunities.
Read this report for insight into how governments are using data and AI in decision-making today and the potential for the future; the major challenges to using data and AI in decision-making and how to overcome them; and how AI agents can be used in decision-making.
The report includes examples of data and AI in decision-making from countries including the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Singapore, the US, and more.
(Published September 2025)
Making Government Work: Five Pillars of a Modern, Effective Civil Service
Around the world, governments are dealing with substantial challenges – from economic stagnation to the transition to net zero, military conflicts and cyber threats. Governments are also grappling with shifting geopolitics and the rise of populism – and all of these factors are set against the emergence of new technologies, including generative AI, which have the potential to fundamentally transform every aspect of society, but which also pose huge ethical, security and regulatory questions for the public sector.
The Making Government Work: Five pillars of a modern, effective civil service report was undertaken to help identify the key characteristics needed in a modern public service, with priorities ranging across leadership, digital service delivery, workforce development, cross-departmental integration, and citizen trust.
This report has been covered by publications around the world including the Financial Times, BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, Ottawa Citizen, Fed Manager, the Mandarin and the i newspaper.
(Published August 2024)
The Future of the Finance Ministry
From setting tax rates and financial regulations that create the ground rules for national economies, to allocating – and tracking – spending for public services, finance ministries occupy an essential role at the centre of government. Geopolitical crises have reinforced the importance of finance ministries, as they tackle both immediate shocks and long-term trends such as ageing populations, the digital transition, and the impact of moves to net zero.
Against this backdrop, this global research explores what the future finance ministry looks like and how to prepare for it.
Based on interviews with 10 senior leaders from finance ministries – led by John McCarthy, chief economist in Ireland’s Department of Finance, working with Ian Hall, editor, Global Government Finance, and Richard Johnstone, executive editor, Global Government Forum – the study identifies four key themes: the evolving role of the finance ministry in response to uncertainty; the shift to more flexible finance systems that support outcomes; digital transformation and the growth of AI; and the battle for talent and trust.
(Published May 2026)
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