Digital is not just about technology. It’s about how we think!
– Hillary Hartley, @hillary
This quote by Hillary Hartley from her keynote at the 71st Annual Conference of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) in Winnipeg, Manitoba illustrates the importance of technology, good government and the digital ecosystem to everyone, including students!
I had the opportunity to attend the three-day conference held from August 18 to 21, 2019 and learnt a lot about why good government in the digital age is important for me, personally and professionally.
The conference kicked off with a welcome reception at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and its sessions focused on the streams of Public Sector Transformation, Innovation and Disruption, Reconciliation in Action, and Digital Government with major focus on Transformation, Digital, and Disruption.
In the spirit of digital engagement, the vibrant in-person engagements in Winnipeg were supported by conversations on Twitter using the hashtag #IPAC2019IAPC, live streams of major sessions, and conference coordination using the Socio app. The website and program were also great resources in navigating the conference.
Monday, August 19 began with an opening ceremony which was an excellent start to the day’s proceedings and led up to the keynote by Hillary Hartley, Chief Digital Officer and Deputy Minister for Digital Government, Ontario Public Service. She delivered the keynote on The Next Decade of Public Sector Disruption and stressed the importance of focusing on the user.
In her keynote, she emphasized the importance of privacy, security and accessibility by design and from the beginning of the design process, pointing out that issues like digital identity have data management at its heart and calling for more responsible data management.
“Government can be simple beautiful and easy to use. Meet people where they are.”
She expressed a desire for government to be simpler, easier, better, innovative and more creative noting that as people get used to being online, the idea of struggling to get something simple done is becoming more intolerable so plain language and breaking things into simple steps is increasingly becoming more important. In addition, she highlighted the need to collaborate with users so it feels co-designed and co-delivered, as there is more value in creating with users over creating for them. This keynote shaped the conference and closed with the following tips:
- Obsess over user needs
- Be agile and iterative
- Work out loud
- Be better at communicating. It’s not just for when there’s something to announce.
- Use data – measure everything, rely on evidence and encourage your team to use the data
- Be prepared to fail – failure is inherent. Small failures prevent us from making big failures.
- Challenge everything.
- Digital service teams should constantly ask questions and leaders should expect people to challenge them.
- Embrace the chaos – the cornerstone of empowering and enabling teams is trust and trust can be messy. Especially in digital organisations but ensure your team feels supported.
- Be unreasonably aspirational.
An important closing statement was that we do not all need to be technical experts but can get familiar with the world of digital and aim to get things done easier, simpler and faster. She then invited everyone to look at and provide feedback to Ontario’s open source digital action plan available at ontario.ca/digitalplan.
While this was an opportunity to see how those in these positions think about these issues, it also raises further questions
- What is the best way to ethically go about this?
- What are we accepting (or giving away) to make things simpler and easier for the user?
The conference featured a variety of activities including breakout sessions, pop ups, and workshops giving participants a wide array of conversations to choose from and participate in based on interest and relevance for them. Some of the most popular sessions were the Clerks Panel: Public Service Transformation and Innovation Declaration; Policy-Making from an Intersectional Lens: The Current and Future State of Gender-Based Analysis in Canada; Challenges of Digital Government; and Future Policy Leaders: Leveraging Talent and Perspective of Student Employees in Government.
These sessions all touched on important issues – intersectionality, gender, innovation and policy making. The session on Future Policy Leaders: Leveraging Talent and Perspective of Student Employees in Government was particularly useful for me as a student participant. It highlighted the importance of student perspectives and involvement in these processes particularly around the question “how do we encourage innovative solutions that address challenges facing government?”
It was interesting to see that many believe the solution to this lies in leveraging the enthusiasm and unique perspectives of students working in government. It showcased the Manitoba Government’s pilot initiative – the STEP Design Thinking Challenge. This initiative combined the experience of supervisors with the work of students hired through their STEP Services student employment program. The program involved rapid problem solving while learning a new approach—Human-Centred Design. Five teams learned and applied the HCD methodology to real-life public service challenges, while being cognizant of constraints and goals articulated by relevant program areas/departments.
At the conference, the students offered their perspective on each of the four phases of the process, shared their solutions, experiences and challenges faced in adopting the methodology within a government setting, the lessons learned, and the tools and perspectives they gained along the way.

No polar bears were harmed in the making of this GIF. Original Picture by author, Eseohe Ojo taken during the trip to the Churchill Exhibit at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. GIF created with giphy.com.
Other activities at the conference include the IPAC AGM; a Closing Plenary on Reconciliation by Jamie Wilson, Former Treaty Commissioner, Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba; a trip to the Churchill Exhibit at the Assiniboine Park Zoo; Presentation of the 2017-2019 Vanier Medal Recipients; an awards ceremony for the Promising New Professional, IPAC Regional Group Excellence, Student Thought Leadership, J.E. Hodgetts and Innovation Management Awards.

IPAC and CAPPA National Student and Thought Leadership Award Winners in Public Administration Photo Credit: IPAC 2019 Awards Newsletter https://conta.cc/2zXsv9T
There were vibrant discussions on artificial intelligence, automation, analytics, and data management. Presenters discussed the multiple options provided by these in today and tomorrow’s workforce, disabusing some common notions and encouraging everyone to think outside the box when it came to technology, data and AI. The various sessions encouraged participants to think through the different problems they might face in the workforce rather than believe that everything can be solved with AI. Presenters emphasized the importance of utilizing different tools and working with other solutions such as analytics, proper data management, qualitative and quantitative research.
Participants were also encouraged to think through the occupational changes happening and realize ways in which the new technological developments can augment or support them, their work and capabilities rather than be a replacement.
Sessions also discussed the emergence of different workers in the workforce and the public sector’s use of gig or crowd workers and the possibilities that these provide, noting that the government can meet different needs by tapping into these multidimensional elements of the workforce.
The final day of the conference began with a presentation of the 2020 annual conference which is to hold in Ottawa, roundtables on tools, ideas and people towards driving public service transformation, and closing remarks.
This conference was a great opportunity to listen to government and public service officials discuss the policy, politics and day-to-day operations and thinking behind their actions and approach. I felt lucky to meet, mingle and engage with participants at the conference and online!
Resources and Further Reading
- The New Face of Public Service: Transformation and Going Digital
- Transformation in the Public Sector: Action and Significant Change
- Announcing the Winners of Our 2019 IPAC Awards
- IPAC 2019 Winnipeg Official Website
- #IPAC2019IAPC on Twitter
Written by: Eseohe Ojo
Edited by: Samantha Summers
People said…