The Public Service is an important national institution, part of the essential framework of parliamentary democracy. Through the support they provide to the duly constituted government, public servants contribute in a fundamental way to good government, to democracy and to the society.
The role of the Public Service is to assist the Government to provide for peace, order and good government. The Constitution and the principles of responsible government provide the foundation for Public Service roles, responsibilities and values. The democratic mission of the Public Service is to assist Ministers, under law, to serve the public interest.
Objectives of This Code
The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service sets forth the values and ethics of public service to guide and support public servants in all their professional activities. It will serve to maintain and enhance public confidence in the integrity of the Public Service. The Code will also serve to strengthen respect for, and appreciation of, the role played by the Public Service within democracy.
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The Code sets out Public Service values as well as Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Measures.
Ministers are responsible for preserving public confidence in the integrity of management and operations within their departments and for maintaining the tradition of political neutrality of the Public Service and its continuing ability to provide professional, candid and frank advice
Public Service Values
Public servants shall be guided in their work and their professional conduct by a balanced framework of public service values: democratic, professional, ethical and people values.
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These families of values are not distinct but overlap. They are perspectives from which to observe the universe of Public Service values.
Democratic Values: Helping Ministers, under law, to serve the public interest. Public servants shall give honest and impartial advice and make all information relevant to a decision available to Ministers.
Public servants shall loyally implement ministerial decisions, lawfully taken. Public servants shall support both individual and collective ministerial accountability and provide Parliament and people with information on the results of their work.
Professional Values: Serving with competence, excellence, efficiency, objectivity and impartiality. Public servants must work within the laws of land and maintain the tradition of the political neutrality of the Public Service.
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Public servants shall endeavour to ensure the proper, effective and efficient use of public money.
In the Public Service, how ends are achieved should be as important as the achievements themselves.
Public servants should constantly renew their commitment to serve people by continually improving the quality of service, by adapting to changing needs through innovation, and by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government programs and services offered in both official languages.
Public servants should also strive to ensure that the value of transparency in government is upheld while respecting their duties of confidentiality under the law.
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Ethical Values: Acting at all times in such a way as to uphold the public trust. Public servants shall perform their duties and arrange their private affairs so that public confidence and trust in the integrity, objectivity and impartiality of government are conserved and enhanced.
Public servants shall act at all times in a manner that will bear the closest public scrutiny; an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law.
Public servants, in fulfilling their official duties and responsibilities, shall make decisions in the public interest.
If a conflict should arise between the private interests and the official duties of a public servant, the conflict shall be resolved in favour of the public interest.
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People Values: Demonstrating respect, fairness and courtesy in their dealings with both citizens and fellow public servants.
Respect for human dignity and the value of every person should always inspire the exercise of authority and responsibility.
People values should reinforce the wider range of Public Service values. Those who are treated with fairness and civility will be motivated to display these values in their own conduct.
Public Service organizations should be led through participation, openness and communication and with respect for diversity and for the official languages of the country. Appointment decisions in the Public Service shall be based on merit. Public Service values should play a key role in recruitment, evaluation and promotion.