2015 Public Service Award of Excellence

The Public Service of Canada commends Béatrice Gagné Plourde’s (Statistic Canada) exceptional dedication and loyalty. For over 40 years, whatever the weather, she has trekked across Bas-Saint-Laurent and the Gaspésie, interviewing people for the Survey of Household Spending. Known as “Madame Statistique Canada,” she has a great rapport with residents, deftly persuading them that their participation is important.

Devon Bartley (Department of Justice Canada) is being honoured for her strong commitment to making the principles of Blueprint 2020 a reality. As a result of her initiative to implement the Innovation Generator—an online tool that enables transparent decision making about departmental innovation—Ms. Bartley was invited by her deputy minister to co-chair the newly created Innovation Council. In this role, she works with employees to identify and implement new and smarter ways of working.

The Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre’s Cyber Operations Team is being recognized for the instrumental role it played in responding to several major cybersecurity threats in 2014. Available 24/7,and using sophisticated cybersecurity technologies, this world-class team has consistently produced timely solutions and trusted information to help defend critical infrastructure and Canadians against cyberattacks. Bruce Moore (Public Safety Canada) accepted the award on behalf of his team.

The Ebola crisis of 2014–15 was a public policy and operational challenge for the Government of Canada that required an interdepartmental response. Under intense pressure and working against the clock, the dedicated members of this team collaborated to prevent the virus from entering Canada. They ensured linkages between Canada’s domestic response and its international efforts, provided protective equipment and personnel to countries in need, and developed protocols to support health professionals. Christine Fournier (Canada Border Services Agency) accepted the award on behalf of the Ebola Response team.

A highly decorated leader and mentor, George Alexander Stewart (National Defence) joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1955. It was the start of an extraordinary career spanning over 60 years of combined regular, reserve and civilian service. Today, Mr. Stewart is a logistics and airlift supply coordinator at Canadian Forces Station Alert, the world’s most northerly and permanently inhabited post, a position he has held with distinction since 1985.

The Public Service Award of Excellence (PSAE) recognizes employees who have demonstrated excellence in achieving results for Canadians and who reflect the priorities of the public service, while demonstrating key leadership competencies. This year (2015), there were 14 categories for the Public Service Award of Excellence.

"Over the years, Canadians have built one of the world’s very best and most respected systems of governance. We have very high expectations of our public services, and rightly so. We place a lot of trust in our public servants," said the Governor General. "Each of you has answered the call to service and succeeded in truly impressive ways. And for that, I thank you on behalf of all Canadians. Congratulations on this well-deserved honour."

Ms. Janice Charette, Clerk of the Privy Council, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service, ended the ceremony with remarks.

The award is open to individuals and teams at all levels (other than the deputy minister level). The award is non-monetary and recipients were announced during National Public Service Week, in June 2015.