By Canadian Press

Michael Wernick, clerk of the Privy Council, bids farewell to public service

Apr 18, 2019 | 11:10 AM

OTTAWA — Michael Wernick, the clerk of the Privy Council, is bidding farewell to the more than 200,000 workers in the federal public service.

Wernick announced in mid-March that he would leave his post as the top federal bureaucrat prior to the fall election campaign.

At the time, he told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a letter that he would no longer be able to fulfil central aspects of his role, including being an impartial arbiter of whether foreign interference occurs during the campaign and to help whichever party is elected to form government.

He said it become apparent there was no path for him to have a relationship of “mutual trust and respect with the leaders of the opposition parties” in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin controversy.

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His farewell message expresses how proud he was to serve as clerk of the Privy Council and reminds those still working in government that what they do matters.

He says a non-partisan public service that is “guided by values, fuelled by evidence” and “a never-ending quest to learn” is key to the success of the country.

The Canadian Press