PCO Clerk Sabia’s three words to guide the public service: focus, simplify, and accountability

Michael Sabia is already a year into his tenure as clerk. Removing outliers, the average term for a modern clerk is under four years. It is not a lot of time to make good on any attempt to alter the trajectory of government. Will Sabia, the clerk with more private-sector experience than his predecessors, make a difference? Will his succinct three-word mission statement endure?
To succeed in making Canadians more prosperous and Canada fairer, PCO Clerk Michael Sabia said public servants 'need to keep three words in mind.' They are: focus, simplify, and accountability.

OTTAWA—When Michael Sabia began his term as clerk of the Privy Council in July 2025, he issued a message to all public servants announcing his mission.

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