Summary

The Canadian code has a preamble describing the role of the public service, a statement of values, and a detailed set of principles. The values listed are: respect for democracy, respect for people, integrity, stewardship, and excellence. The principles are described as a set of expected behaviours, subdivided according to the list of values.
As this document makes clear, members of the public service in Canada have a responsibility to the elected government. Thus they are expected to carry out their duties "in accordance with legislation, policies and directives in a non-partisan and impartial manner." And as well, they are tasked with "loyally carrying out the lawful decisions of their leaders and supporting ministers in their accountability to Parliament and Canadians" (TBS,2011:1.1-1.2) There are also requirements characteristic of democratic governance: "treating every person with respect and fairness (and) valuing diversity and the benefit of combining the unique qualities and strengths inherent in a diverse workforce" (Ibid:2.1-2.2)
The remaining principles are those characteristic of a profession: integrity, stewardship, and excellence. These include "taking all possible steps to prevent and resolve any real, apparent or potential conflicts of interest," as well as "effectively and efficiently using the public money, property and resources managed by them" and "providing fair, timely, efficient and effective services that respect Canada's official languages." (Ibid: 3-5). These may not seem to be 'ethical' principles, but as we see in this chapter, what constitutes 'ethical' is characterized very differently in different domains.

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