Writing, design, and digital government

The choice

Thomas awoke to the soft light of a progressive dawn. Pleasant music, carefully selected by Amber for a voluptuous awakening, enveloped the room. Amber’s voice, so natural, so clear and comforting, so “perfect”, seemed to come from every corner of the apartment:

State, bureaucracy and power - Reflections of a bureaucrat

There’s no point in denying it: I’m a bureaucrat.

As a career government worker, I’m part of the machinery of the state, for better or worse. I find the English expression “public servant” elegantly side-steps this reality and focuses on an idealized “public” that we ostensibly serve. The French expression, “fonctionnaire”, is perhaps more honest: I serve a specific function in the state apparatus. Part of my role is enforcing rules and maintaining the bureaucracy. I am, in one word, a bureaucrat.

Maintain, improve, transform - Handling the GC web presence

The Government of Canada’s (GC) web presence is not a simple “website” - it’s the main entry point for all services from the government. Web teams have been hard at work for years to maintain and improve it. Yet the need to radically transform it seems almost self-evident to anyone who has watched people try to use it.

A new job

The call came when I wasn’t expecting it anymore. I had sent my resume everywhere I could think of. I had been more selective at first, but since the necessities of life are not free, my high principles had waned, and I had gradually lowered my standards.

A public servant's freedom of expression

Fearless advice, loyal implementation.

This is the unofficial motto of federal public servants.

In the current climate of forced return to the office, many of us have publicly expressed our disagreement, sometimes forcefully.

I have asked myself: what are the limits to our freedom of expression? What can we say publicly? What can’t we say?

A July afternoon

The call rang through the house at about two in the afternoon. It was a bright July day, in the middle of a heat wave. The kids were playing in the pool, while I sipped my beer. I put down my Labatt 50 and ran to the phone. I picked up on the fourth ring, just before the answering machine would do it. It was my brother Regent, his voice choked with emotion, who told me the news. My father had died.

My personal publishing space

After several unsuccessful attempts in the past, I decided to create a personal publishing space. Why not just talk about a blog? Because it won’t just be a space for posting blog posts. There will also be short fiction texts, as well as notes, to quickly share a link or an idea.