Strategic Context
Government provides a myriad of services to the public, and has a number of priorities that it plans to achieve. These priorities
are identified in the Government's Strategic Plan, and in the Service Plans of Ministries and Crown Agencies. Three key factors
affect how the Office of the Premier oversees, coordinates and monitors the implementation of these services and priorities.
Coordination across government Ministries and organizations
A key objective of government and the Premier's Office is to ensure that there is effective horizontal integration and collaborative
work on issues and priorities that affect or involve the same client group, or more than one Ministry or organization in government.
To support this, the Premier has established the Government Caucus Committee on Natural Resources and the Economy, and the
Government Caucus Committee on Social Development. There are also Deputy Ministers' committees on Natural Resources and the
Economy and Social Development. These committees focus their efforts on effectively integrating cross government priorities,
and the action plans that are put in place to address them.
There remain, however, opportunities for government to pursue further innovations to integrate activities. Government will
continue to examine the extent to which traditional Ministry structures and government processes can be adapted to support
working toward common outcomes and objectives, and to identify innovative ways to improve horizontal integration.
The BC Public Service
In the BC Public Service, more than 30,000 people work to make a positive difference in the lives of over four million British Columbians
every day, serving a variety of roles in more than 100 diverse job streams. For any organization, and particularly a large
one such as the BC Public Service, it is important to have a clear human resource plan that identifies the trends that affect
our workforce as well as the values and objectives that drive human resource management decisions.
The BC Public Service is undergoing a significant transformation driven largely by an aging population that is bringing about
a rapid rate of retirements, an increasingly competitive marketplace for skilled employees, new demands on staffs' personal
lives, and changing needs and expectations of the public we serve. At the same time, factors such as the global economy, the
introduction of new technologies and the increasing diversity of British Columbia communities introduce new challenges in
public policy and intensify the complexity of issues public servants work on each day.
A new Human Resource Plan was completed in 2006 to guide the work required to address these challenges and associated opportunities.
Implementing this plan with the support and involvement of all Deputy Ministers and government employees will be a key focus
of the Premier's Office in the next year and into the future.
The Federal Government
Many of the key initiatives that B.C. is pursuing require the input and support of the federal government. For example, taking
full advantage of our position as Canada's Gateway to the Pacific, building our relationship with First Nations, and increasing
immigration to ensure that we have adequate labour to support our growing economy is dependent on the cooperation and support
of the federal government. Achieving that support must take into consideration the priorities that the federal government
has identified. B.C. will focus on working with the federal government to ensure that our provincial priorities are shared
by the federal government.