Rediscovering the Purpose in Public Service

What I Learned When I Asked: Why Are We Here?

Happy Tuesday, Transformation Friends. Another week, another opportunity to go Beyond the Status Quo.

This week’s post is a bit more personal. I hope you’ll take the time to read it because I feel like this is one of the most important pieces I’ve written.

After an unexpected pause from work, I found myself stepping back from the pace and pressure of the office. Without the usual flood of deadlines, fires to put out, and an inbox that never seems to rest, I had space to reflect. Without the daily noise, one question kept repeating itself in my head:

Not why am I here, or why are you here in a particular role or department, but why we, as public servants, exist. What is our collective purpose?

It’s a question we don’t ask ourselves often enough. And yet, without a shared answer, how can we know if we’re truly making a difference?

It reminds me of something someone told me very early in my public service career (like the first few weeks) that has stuck with me all these years. I was fresh out of graduate school, still wet behind the ears, and someone (I can't remember who) said, “At the end of every day, as you walk to your car, ask yourself: did Canadians get their money’s worth today?”

But how can we answer that question if we haven’t taken the time to reconnect with our true mission: something deeper than project outputs or departmental mandates, something rooted in the public good?

As a bit of a personal exercise, I decided to reflect on our purpose. I wrote down what felt meaningful to me, something that captured what I believe we’re really here to contribute.

Today, I want to share it with you and unpack why I framed it the way I did.

Grab your morning coffee, and let’s get started.

Our Purpose in Public Service

Here’s what I’ve come up with. You may not agree with every word, and that’s okay. This statement is shaped by my own experiences, informed by the work of others, and refined through countless conversations with thoughtful people over the years. I found it really healthy and meaningful to try to put all these feelings and experiences into the following words:

The role of our government is to promote the prosperity and well-being of the country and its people, both now and for future generations. Prosperity can mean many things: a good quality of life, public health, safety and security, access to opportunity, a sustainable environment, economic growth, and a society grounded in equity and fairness. These are just some of the elements that make a country stronger and enhance the lives of those who call it home. In short, it’s about building a stronger country and improving people’s lives.

Our public service plays a key role in making this vision a reality. It is expected to be professional, merit-based, and non-partisan, serving the government of the day with integrity and competence. Public servants contribute by delivering programs and services, offering evidence-informed advice, supporting implementation, and managing public resources responsibly.

As they carry out these responsibilities, they are expected to respect democratic institutions and the rule of law, and to uphold the trust placed in them by Canadians. High-quality, fair, and consistent service helps build and sustain public trust and confidence in government, which is reinforced by clear lines of accountability: public servants support and report through their deputy ministers to elected ministers, who are accountable to Parliament, and in turn, to Canadians.

The ultimate goal of the public service is to serve Canadians by helping government work better for everyone.

Why Each Part of This Purpose Matters to Me

I want to walk you through how I arrived at each part of this purpose statement. I’ll break it down piece by piece and explain my thinking behind it: why I included each element; how it reflects what I’ve seen and learned in public service; and why I believe it matters for all of us who are trying to make government work better.

Let’s take a closer look.

1. The Role of Government: Promoting Prosperity and Well-Being

I started with the role of government because it provides a clear and shared foundation for public service. We need to remind ourselves that government isn’t some abstract idea, that it exists for a reason. I believe that the reason is to improve the country and the lives of its people. That belief gives us a compass, a North Star, to help guide the work we do in service of government and its citizens.

It’s worth emphasizing that disagreement is expected in a democracy, and it’s essential. As citizens and participants in a democratic society, we won’t always agree with the politics or policies of the day. That’s both natural and healthy. But what matters most is that we maintain a foundational belief: that our government and opposing voices alike are acting in good faith, striving to do what they believe is best for the country. Even if we disagree on the specifics, we need to trust that others are motivated by a sincere commitment to the public good. Without that shared belief, it becomes much harder to uphold the idea that government exists to serve everyone.

Still, we live in a time when many people feel disconnected or disillusioned, and that makes this core purpose harder to see and harder to believe. Cynicism takes root. Trust erodes, and when trust goes, our institutions lose their legitimacy. That’s why our responsibility as public servants is to show up with a mindset grounded in service: to believe that while people will always differ on how to achieve prosperity, they all deserve a system that is genuinely trying to make life better. Without a shared understanding of what prosperity and well-being mean, how can we measure progress? How can we agree on what progress looks like?

What this means for how we act as public servants: This part of the purpose reminds us to stay focused on outcomes that genuinely improve people’s lives. It means asking: How does what I’m doing contribute to the public good? Who benefits? Who might be left out? Living up to our mission requires us to be outcome-driven, citizen-centred, and future-focused in everything we do.

2. The Role of the Public Service: Being the machine that turns this vision into reality

The government cannot fulfill its role without a capable and trusted public service. We bring that role to life in many ways: by delivering services, offering sound advice, implementing decisions, and acting as stewards of public resources. But how we do this work matters just as much as what we do. Our work must be grounded in core public service values: non-partisanship, professionalism, ethics, and a sincere desire to serve the public good. These values must shape how we show up. We should be seen as people who genuinely care about making this country better, with the heart of the country on our sleeves.

This means we are more than task-doers, decision-makers, or advice-givers. We are enablers of the government’s mission. When we see ourselves that way, our work takes on deeper meaning. It creates alignment between our values and our actions. That alignment fuels motivation, pride, and professionalism. And yes, people notice. Citizens notice. That’s when public confidence grows. That’s the pot of gold at the end of the public-sector value chain: not just outputs, but trust—credibility.

What this means for how we act as public servants: It means seeing ourselves as more than implementers. We are the stewards of the public good. We must approach each task, big or small, with care, with competence, and with integrity. We must stay anchored in facts, committed to evidence, and guided by fairness. We must speak truth to power with respect, ensuring that our services and advice reflect much more than personal interest or political convenience. It must reflect a genuine commitment to serving the public good.

3. Accountability: Serving Canadians, Not Just Systems

For the final part, I chose to focus on accountability. Trust is built when there is clarity about who is responsible for decisions and outcomes. While individual public servants are not always in the public eye, that doesn’t mean we are anonymous or unaccountable. We are part of a democratic chain of accountability: our work flows upward through organizational hierarchies, with deputy heads accountable to democratically elected ministers, who are themselves accountable to Parliament, and through Parliament, to the Canadian public.

This chain of accountability matters. Policy decisions are made by ministers and the cabinet, but it’s up to us, as public servants, to make the most of those decisions. We’re responsible for providing the best possible advice and for implementing those decisions with care and competence. Ultimately, it’s the public who will decide through elections and democratic engagement whether those decisions were right or wrong. That’s how democracy works.

Our role is to uphold the legitimacy of that process, which means acting with integrity, ensuring our work serves the public interest, and recognizing that our authority doesn’t come from titles or organizational charts. It comes from the democratically elected people we support and the trust Canadians place in our institutions. When we remember that we’re ultimately accountable to Canadians, it helps us focus on what matters. We choose service over self-interest, honesty over convenience, and long-term impact over short-term gains. That kind of accountability is vital to the health of our democracy.

What this means for how we act as public servants: It means accountability is about earning and maintaining public trust in every action we take. It means making decisions transparently, acting consistently, and staying mindful of how our work affects people’s lives. It also means respecting the democratic system we are part of, including the elected officials we support and the institutions that represent the will of the people. We should be able to look at anything we’ve done and answer, with confidence: "If a Canadian asked why I did this, would they see it as fair, honest, and worthy of their trust?"

Why This Matters Now

Trust in public institutions is at an all-time low. We’re navigating increasingly polarized environments, and as public servants, we’ve always worked under a high level of public scrutiny. In many cases, that scrutiny is warranted. Canadians are right to expect more from their institutions, especially when systems or individuals fall short of the extremely high standards the public deserves.

That’s exactly why reconnecting with our core purpose matters. Purpose helps us respond with humility, professionalism, and a renewed commitment to serving the public with integrity. It reminds us who we’re here for, and why the work matters.

We should regularly ask ourselves, “Why are we here?” Each of us might answer that question a little differently, and that’s okay. What matters is that we reflect on our answer and ensure it aligns with the values that define great public service: service, respect for democracy, integrity, stewardship, and excellence.

When individuals or systems fall short of these values, each and every one of us has a responsibility to act. Speak up. Raise concerns. Advocate for what’s right. Purpose doesn’t live in mission statements; it lives in choices. It takes courage to uphold it, but that’s what Canadians deserve from their public service.

What can we do?

Let’s start by setting titles aside. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a deputy head, a chief audit executive, an operational director, a policy manager, a service desk lead, an administrative assistant, or doing clerical support. Regardless of where you sit in the organization, you have the power and the responsibility to live the purpose. Here’s what you can do:

• Start with the why. Don’t just focus on the task at hand. Take time to connect your work to its impact. How is it helping real people? How is it making government work better?

• Make values visible. Let professionalism, integrity, non-partisanship, and service guide how you show up, whether in your tone, your decisions, or your day-to-day actions.

• Build accountability through meaning. Don’t just track activity. Take time to understand and explain how your efforts contribute to outcomes and trust.

• Protect time to reflect. Reflection is essential. Take a moment regularly to reconnect with why your work matters. And if you can, create space for your team or colleagues to do the same.

• Challenge what’s missing. When you see people or systems falling short of our shared purpose and values, don’t stay silent. Ask questions. Raise concerns. Offer alternatives. Speaking up is service. Purpose requires accountability, and accountability starts with us.

Wrap up

If we want to rebuild trust, deliver real impact, and serve Canadians in ways that matter, we need to do more than talk about purpose. We need to live it. We live it through our actions, we live it through our decisions, we live it through our courage, and we live it through our commitment to public service at its best.

So let’s leave off with a few questions to reflect on:

• How would you personally frame the purpose of public service?

• Does your current role or daily work reflect that purpose, or has something been lost in translation?

• What conversations could you start with your team to bring clarity, alignment, or renewed energy around that shared mission?

Until next time, stay curious and I’ll see you Beyond the Status Quo.