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Transforming Public Service Culture – Session 3

Date: November 5, 2026
Type: Online

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Transforming the public service requires more than new priorities. It requires a shift in how we lead and how we work. The Clerk of the Privy Council has called on the public service to focus on what matters most, simplify how we work, and strengthen personal accountability for results. This series will explore what that means for leaders and provide practical approaches to helping teams adopt new ways of working, embrace innovation, reduce complexity, and deliver results with greater speed, ownership, and impact.

Accountability is more than reporting on results. It is about creating a culture where people take ownership, exercise judgment, and follow through on commitments. High-performing organizations pair clear expectations with trust, empowerment, and the courage to make decisions

Session 3: Leading for Outcomes: Accountability that Drives Results

This session will explore how leaders can foster personal accountability, strengthen ownership at all levels, and create the conditions for high performance. Gain insight from Deputy Ministers who are building cultures that encourage initiative, support informed risk-taking, and consistently deliver results for Canadians.

Event Details

Date & Time: November 5, 2026, 13:00 to 14:30 ET

Audience: All Public Service executives across Canada and internationally are invited to attend APEX’s learning events

Cost: Free

Language: This event will be bilingual. Simultaneous interpretation will be available via Wordly, an AI-based interpreting service.

Platform: Participants will attend our virtual event via Teams webinar. A meeting link will be sent once you are registered.

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Meet the Speakers

Moderator: Gaveen Cadotte
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Public Service Renewal Secretariat, Privy Council Office

Gaveen Cadotte joined the Privy Council Office in October 2024 to lead the Public Service Renewal Secretariat as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet.

Prior to this role, she served as Assistant Deputy Minister, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism at Canadian Heritage, where she led policy and funding programs and oversaw the development and implementation of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and the Action Plan on Combatting Hate. Previously, as Vice-President, Policy and Communications at the Public Service Commission, Gaveen led policy and regulatory development, political activities and non-partisanship, intergovernmental and international relations, outreach, communications, and parliamentary affairs.

Earlier in her career, Gaveen served as Director of Operations (Compensation and Leadership) at the Privy Council Office, responsible for policies and programs supporting the management of Governor in Council appointees. She also held executive leadership roles at Employment and Social Development Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Health Canada/Public Health Agency of Canada, leading HR service delivery and workforce management policies, programs and oversight.

Gaveen holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa, specializing in Management Information Systems and Human Resources Management, and a professional certification in Human Resources Management.

Mollie Johnson
Deputy Minister, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Mollie Johnson was appointed Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada in June 2025.

Prior to her appointment, Mrs. Johnson served as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultations) at the Privy Council Office (PCO) for 2 years, where she was responsible for strategic policy planning and coordination across the Canadian government.

She provided economic and fiscal advice to the Prime Minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council, as well as support for Cabinet and Cabinet retreats. She also led government transition processes and the federal budget process within PCO. In January 2025, Mrs. Johnson also took on leadership of PCO’s Clean Growth Office.

Prior to her appointment at PCO, Mrs. Johnson was Associate Deputy Minister Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), and Special Advisor to the Clerk on Decarbonization, where she played a key role in the government’s commitment to building prosperous, inclusive energy and resource sectors.

Mrs. Johnson spent 4 of her 8 years at NRCan heading up the Energy Systems Sector and its predecessor, the Low Carbon Energy Sector, both of which were tasked with advancing Canada’s national energy priorities as part of the government’s commitment to energy transition.

This followed her time as NRCan’s Assistant Deputy Minister, Communications and Portfolio Sector, and Director General of Policy, Major Projects Management Office. Prior to that, she held executive positions at Environment Canada and Canada’s Competition Bureau.

Mrs. Johnson has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Originally from Port Credit, she lives in Ottawa with her husband and 2 daughters.

Kaili Levesque
Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

On March 5, 2026, Kaili Levesque was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and President of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, while continuing to support the Secretary of State (Nature).

Previously, Ms. Levesque was the Associate Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). In this role, she supported decision making by the Deputy Minister and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans through fearless and informed advice geared at sustainably managing Canada’s fisheries and aquaculture; enabling the continued prosperity of fishers and coastal and Indigenous communities; and helping to ensure Canada’s oceans and aquatic ecosystems are protected.

On June 20, 2025, Ms. Levesque was appointed as the Deputy supporting the Secretary of State (Nature)—concurrent with her role as Associate Deputy Minister, DFO. In this capacity she continues to provide guidance and advice to the Secretary of State and participates in engagements toward meeting the Government’s target to conserve 30 per cent of its lands and 30 per cent of its oceans by 2030—all with a view to combatting biodiversity loss and climate change.

Prior to this, Ms. Levesque was the Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Operations, at the Privy Council Office (PCO) where she provided policy advice to the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and the Clerk while ensuring interdepartmental coordination on a wide range of domestic policy and program issues.

In 2021, Ms. Levesque was the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Economic and Regional Development Policy, PCO, where she was responsible for shepherding a variety of government priorities including climate change, industrial, and energy policy.

During 2020-2021, Ms. Levesque served as both the Vice-President of the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout at the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Assistant Deputy Minister, Medical Countermeasures, as part of Health Canada’s COVID-19 Task Force—ensuring supply and swift provision of vaccines across Canada.

Ms. Levesque has held numerous leadership positions in the federal public service in key, priority areas, including as:

  • Executive Director, Strategic Policy, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) – 2018-2020;
  • Senior Director, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada – 2017-2018;
  • Director, Strategic Policy, TBS – 2016-2017;
  • Director, Post-Secondary Strategic Investment Fund, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) – 2016; and
  • Director, Policy and Strategic Planning, Digital Policy Branch, ISED – 2014-2016.

Ms. Levesque attended Carleton University, where she earned a Master of Arts in Public Administration. She attended the University of Ottawa, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Governance and Public Policy. She has an extremely patient husband, two active teenagers, and for good measure, two cats who run the roost.

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