Chief public servant talks mission to D.C.

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This article was published 27/04/2024 (883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The head of Manitoba’s civil service provided some insight into the provincial government’s recent trade mission to Washington, D.C., during a keynote address in Brandon on Friday.

Sarah Thiele, Manitoba’s clerk of the executive council and the secretary for the provincial cabinet, spoke about what she heard on the trip while addressing those attending Manitoba Municipal Administrators’ inaugural leadership summit at the Victoria Inn.

She joined other representatives including past premier and Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer and Premier Wab Kinew on the trip earlier this month.

After discussing the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming presidential election this fall, Thiele said the Manitoba delegation wanted to make clear that this province is a reliable trading partner no matter who’s in government.

“The Biden and Trump administrations offer opportunities and uncertainty,” Thiele said.

“Biden has been fairly protectionist and it has not always been easy to maintain a positive trading relationship. Trump, as we know, relies on division and uncertainty on many different fronts.

“Either way, this is a relationship to watch that affects all of us. Premier Kinew recently led a trade mission to Washington, D.C., and he was delivering a message that regardless of who’s in power, Manitoba is a stable and trustworthy friend to the north.”

She said the team pitched Americans they met with on Manitoba’s clean energy, access to critical minerals and strong agricultural sector and how those fit in with the global political situation.

“We heard repeatedly in the U.S. that China’s efforts over the past number of decades to obtain control of the world’s critical mineral resources, which as of now China controls about 80 per cent worldwide, is considered a significant threat to U.S. national security,” she said.

That means, she said, that China could soon hold the power to decide what countries can build electric vehicles and other new technologies in sectors like defence.

With the Americans concerned with finding a supplier for critical minerals, Thiele said Manitoba is “very well positioned to be the type of trading partner that the democratic world needs.”

Thiele said Manitoba’s efforts toward economic reconciliation with Indigenous groups represent a competitive advantage in the trading sphere.

“The more partnerships that are established early on, the earlier that connections are made at the provincial-municipal and Indigenous government level, the sooner Indigenous expertise is sought on environmental, social and other impacts around economic opportunities, the more attractive Manitoba will be to major investors in the U.S.,” she said.

“Globally, companies are now seeking environments where there’s certainty, where risk around their investment is reduced and when an Indigenous community is a joint venture partner at the table, we are assuring those investors that they will be successful in our environment.”

She said the RM of Rossburn and Waywayseecappo First Nation’s approach of coming together to engage the province on issues that affect their communities is a valuable example.

Other items on the agenda for the summit included a panel discussion featuring Brandon city manager Ron Bowles and Winnipeg chief administrative officer Mike Jack, a presentation on the potential applications of artificial intelligence for municipalities, a session on coaching employees and a session about how administrators can develop their personal leadership brand.

Duane Nicol, the CAO for the City of Selkirk and the president of Manitoba Municipal Administrators, said there has been a focus on the technical aspects when it comes to the professional development of administrators, but with municipal councils expecting more from them, the sector needs to provide more opportunities to learn about leadership and managing the relationship between councils and their administrations.

The creation of the leadership summit — which the organization hopes will become an annual event — is a step toward that.

“We see the inflation, the budgetary pressures, the political dynamic, social media and some of the intense politicization that we see in the public of the bureaucracy of the public service really adding a lot of stress,” Nicol said.

“We’re seeing fewer and fewer people willing to step into the role of chief administrative officer and a lot more politicization of that role.”

He said there have been people running for municipal councils on a platform of firing a CAO, which isn’t ideal because people in those positions are supposed to have longevity.

“We need to be arming our members to better prepare for that, so they can continue to deliver service to citizens and to councils in that environment.”

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