Harper serving final day as prime minister
Posted November 3, 2015 11:14 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – On his final day as prime minister, Stephen Harper reached out to a public service which his government had a tense relationship with for the last nine years.
In a message sent to the entire government bureaucracy, he thanks them for the support they’ve shown his team over three successive Parliaments and for their dedication to the well-being of Canadians.
In the letter, Harper says he’s proud of the work he and his team have done with the public service to increase the prosperity, security and well-being of Canadians, as well as improving Canada’s position in the world.
Among the unfinished business Harper leaves behind as he exits his job is the renewal of contracts for the hundreds of thousands of civil servants in Canada; the two sides have been locked in a long-standing battle on a number of factors, including sick leave and pensions.
It is the latest irritant in a series of clashes during the Conservatives’ term in government, including the loss of 20,000 public sector jobs and complaints that civil servants were forced into more partisan approaches to policy development than was appropriate or muzzled altogether.
In his letter, Harper makes no mention of the tension.
