Another Public Sector Network - Government Innovation Week is in the books. What did we learn? How is digital sovereignty shaping the conversation? We are going through some of the deepest cuts to public sector jobs in well over a decade. AI was all over the agenda but how did the conversations play out? 

I recently came across Rebecca Mbaya’s African Innovators series, which spotlights changemakers reshaping Africa’s tech, data, and AI landscape. It’s thoughtful, grounded, and well worth your time. In this video, I zoom in on her profile of Pombili Paula Haitamba, a data analyst from Namibia. It’s genuinely one of the best pieces I’ve read on what data analysis actually means in practice, not just the technical side, but the human and political dimensions too.

Hi everyone, what an amazing evening to launch the dream that is Civic Punks. My friend Mike was kind enough to record the speech I gave, and I wanted to share it here. Thank you everyone who came to support this project!

What idea has shaped your work for decades?

For Ryan Androsoff, it’s Wiki Government by Beth Noveck.

In this conversation, Ryan shares how that book continues to influence his thinking on digital government, collaboration, and reform in Canada.

Some ideas don’t just inspire you.

They rewire you.

What if government were your new best friend? A companion who walked with you and made your life easier and better. Anticipating your needs and pointing you towards supports and opportunities, not to sell you things but to help you with your own goals.

Public Sector Network’s Digital Leadership Day for the Government of Canada is officially in the books. So what happens when you put 100+ senior public servants and partners in a room and ask one deceptively simple question: What does digital leadership actually look like in Canada right now?

This is the question Becky Miller asks in her blog series that made waves in the UK this fall. This is my short reflection on this series and why I think everyone should read it.

2024 was a global reckoning. Across countries and political divides, voters sent the same message: government isn’t working — and it needs to change.

But change to what?

In this launch episode of Civic Punks, Derek Alton explores one of the most important questions of our time: what does better government actually look like — and who is building it?

For 17 years, Derek has worked inside and alongside governments. Now he’s traveling the world to meet the people quietly reshaping the system from within — the reformers, builders, and “Civic Punks” who refuse to accept the status quo and are working to make government fit for the future.

This podcast dives into the ideas, experiments, failures, and breakthroughs shaping the next era of public service — in formats that are accessible, human, and real.

If you care about climate, housing, healthcare, AI, inequality — you care about government.

Let’s go behind the scenes and see who’s building what comes next.

There is so much exciting stuff happening in New Brunswick when it comes to public sector innovation!

Before the lights go up at Government Innovation Week, let’s talk about what actually matters.

In this pre-game show, I’m joined by Joy Chatwell from the Public Sector Network to pull back the curtain on how Government Innovation Week (Federal, Ottawa 2026) was designed, what themes are shaping the agenda, and why this moment feels significant for the Canadian public sector.

If you’re attending, this episode will help you dial in on the storylines worth tracking, the tensions to watch, and the conversations that could quietly shape what happens next. If you’re not there in person, this gives you the context you need to follow the coverage I’ll be producing from the conference floor.

We’re talking:

Think of this as your field guide before the doors open.

More on the event:

Let’s get ready.