Blog

State, bureaucracy and power - Reflections of a bureaucrat

There’s no point in denying it: I’m a bureaucrat.

As a career government worker, I’m part of the machinery of the state, for better or worse. I find the English expression “public servant” elegantly side-steps this reality and focuses on an idealized “public” that we ostensibly serve. The French expression, “fonctionnaire”, is perhaps more honest: I serve a specific function in the state apparatus. Part of my role is enforcing rules and maintaining the bureaucracy. I am, in one word, a bureaucrat.

Maintain, improve, transform - Handling the GC web presence

The Government of Canada’s (GC) web presence is not a simple “website” - it’s the main entry point for all services from the government. Web teams have been hard at work for years to maintain and improve it. Yet the need to radically transform it seems almost self-evident to anyone who has watched people try to use it.

A public servant's freedom of expression

Fearless advice, loyal implementation.

This is the unofficial motto of federal public servants.

In the current climate of forced return to the office, many of us have publicly expressed our disagreement, sometimes forcefully.

I have asked myself: what are the limits to our freedom of expression? What can we say publicly? What can’t we say?

My personal publishing space

After several unsuccessful attempts in the past, I decided to create a personal publishing space. Why not just talk about a blog? Because it won’t just be a space for posting blog posts. There will also be short fiction texts, as well as notes, to quickly share a link or an idea.