Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Michelle DiEmanuele has been appointed Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Ontario Public Service (OPS), returning to the public service after over a decade in the private sector. DiEmanuele’s most recent position was as President and CEO at Trillium Health Partners. Prior to her private sector work, she had a long career in the OPS holding a variety of roles, including Associate Secretary of the Cabinet and Deputy Minister.
In an email sent to OPS employees on June 21, DiEmanuele established her priorities for the coming months, including pandemic recovery and promoting a positive workplace. DiEmanuele also stated that she requested a priority briefing on the Third-Party Review conducted on racism, discrimination, and harassment within the OPS, which she called a “foundational component” of her work going forward.
AMAPCEO noted that the apology made by DiEmanuele’s predecessor, Steven Davidson, following the release of the Review was a start, but that there is still significant work to be done. The union looks forward to continuing to work with the Employer and holding them to their promise to build a more diverse, equitable, accessible, and anti-racist environment.
With the recent provincial cabinet shuffle, the OPS also has a new President of the Treasury Board, The Honourable Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria. A former corporate lawyer, Sarkaria was elected as MPP for Brampton South in 2018. Since his election, he has held various roles in government, most recently as Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction and Small Business.
President Dave Bulmer welcomed Sarkaria to his new role in a phone call last week. “I’m looking forward to working with the Minister on how we can collaborate to protect public services,” Bulmer said.
On the call, Sarkaria expressed his appreciation for AMAPCEO members' hard work, especially since the pandemic began. Bulmer outlined some of the union’s recent budget submissions and reminded the Minister that the OPS is the leanest provincial public service in the country by a significant measure. He cautioned that if the government is to deliver on its promises before its mandate is through, austerity is not a way to get there.
Bulmer brought up the Third-Party Review reports and underlined the union’s position that more must be done to make the OPS safer, more diverse, and more inclusive.
The two also reflected on the constructive relationship that AMAPCEO fostered with Sarkaria’s predecessors.
“We’ll be talking again soon,” Bulmer said. “Let’s hit the ground running.”