2009 - Press Release
Patricia Walcott
The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and the Hamilton, National Capital Region and Toronto Regional Groups of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada are pleased to announce that the 2009 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration, Ontario’s highest honour for public service, has been awarded to Patricia Walcott, Senior Executive Director, Service Canada (Ontario Region).
Patricia Walcott has had a long and impressive career in the public sector, working across all business lines within Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and in many different types of roles. She is described as leading with “credibility and passion” with a focus on continuous improvement and service excellence.
Pat’s philosophy has always been to put the client first. Her career reflects a strong operational focus that has allowed her to directly influence the kind of programming and service improvements needed to ensure that the citizens of Ontario, and of Canada, receive the benefits they need, when they need them.
This focus on clients and service improvements is evident in the past recognition that Pat has received. Pat was part of the Employment History Reporting for Employment Insurance project that received the 1997 Innovations in Management Award from the Institute of Public Administration. The focus of the Award was connecting citizens to government. Pat received the 2001 Federal Head of the Public Service Award related to the implementation of quality and performance improvements in services and supports in the Toronto York sector.
Pat is a dedicated professional who inspires excellence from all around her. Pat has transformed high cost, complex organizations into highly functioning, efficient and focused organizations with both cost savings and clear service improvements. She has used technology as a tool to provide equitable and consistent service delivery to all residents of the province – her work has formed the foundation for many of the web based services offered by Service Canada today.
Pat has spent more than 35 years working to ensure improved delivery of public services. Among her many achievements, she has collaborated with other levels of government to prioritize Service Canada funding to address urban issues in the Greater Toronto area; she has led the launch of the first program focused on providing mentorship for newcomers to Canada; and she has supported the use of direct citizen input into the service delivery approaches for Canadian Pensions.
Pat is committed to the public service as a career choice and actively mentors and develops staff and colleagues. In addition, Pat has been involved in teaching and developing the Public Administration program at Humber College and is now a part time instructor at Ryerson University where she also serves on the Advisory Council for the Department of Politics and Public Administration.
Pat has participated in a number of community initiatives, including the Strong Neighbourhoods Task Force. Pat chaired the Government of Canada Charitable Workplace Campaign and has walked for the cure to raise funds for breast cancer research.
Pat’s nomination was endorsed by a number of senior public sector and academic leaders. In noting her many achievements, all mentioned Pat’s leadership, professionalism, dedication, innovation, vision and commitment to collaboration and transformation of service delivery within the Public Sector. Pat has proven herself to be an influential leader with passion and integrity. Her commitment to service excellence and transformation over a long career in the Public Service makes her a worthy recipient of the IPAC Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration.
The IPAC Hamilton, National Capital Region and Toronto Regional Groups congratulate Patricia Walcott and join in celebrating her achievements in public administration.
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