Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Tues. December 16th, 2025

Does Canada’s public service need a productivity review? A new report from a working group on public service productivity has 19 suggestions for the feds, with the goal of improving effectiveness and accountability within the public service. This gameplan would include rigorous performance reviews for all individuals – at every single level – after a one-year probationary period. Annual reports on public servants who have been dismissed are also on the table. And for any employees who have been identified as underperformers, they would also be subjected to an annual report. Kristy Cameron digs deeper with Michael Wernick, a former Clerk of the Privy Council and a current expert in public management at UOttawa. Meantime, as the Christmas season creeps closer and closer, we have revived the Ottawa Now Gift Guide to help out today’s last-minute shoppers! Yesterday, it was Mitch Kedrosky offering us his unbiased insight. Today’s contestant is CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent. But first, we bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.