In this workshop, designed for any professional working at a Crown Corporation but especially for newcomers with little to no experience working in the public sector, facilitators will give an overview of essential Crown governance principles, clarify where private sector strategies overlap, contribute to, or clash with the statutory obligations and accountability frameworks of Crown corporations.

Topics of discussion include:

Part I: Introduction to Crown Corporations for Private Sector Recruits

• Clarifying roles and responsibilities within Crown corporations
  • Comparing the roles of CEO, President, Chair, and Corporate Secretary in private companies versus Crown corporations
  • Explaining the meaning and application of the “nose in, fingers out” concept
• Navigating relationships with government (the Shareholder)
  • Understanding the roles of the Minister, Deputy Minister, and ADM in relation to a Crown corporation
  • Illustrating what an “arm’s-length” relationship looks like and addressing potentially inappropriate interactions
• Interpreting the statutory frameworks governing Crown corporations
  • Identifying key provisions of the Financial Administration Act and other enabling statutes to be aware of
  • Highlighting examples of statutory ambiguity and approaches for addressing them
• Complying with government-specific reporting requirements
• Demystifying conflicts of interest and Crown-specific obligations
  • Comparing conflicts of interest rules in the private sector with obligations under the Charter and public law

Part II: Understanding How to Parlay Private Industry Experience into a Crown Corporation:

• Applying private sector expertise while respecting public governance boundaries
  • Contributing effectively while avoiding overstepping within a “nose in, fingers out” governance model
• Reframing DEI and ESG priorities for the public sector context
  • Considering how government-driven obligations (e.g., Accessibility Act, provincial legislation) differ from private-sector marketing and business imperatives