An important part of the executive branch of government is the
public service.
Most Cabinet ministers oversee a government department or ministry. For example, the Minister of Finance oversees the Department of Finance. The Minister will provide direction to their departments on what policies and programs should be created and put into place.
Employees that work for these departments or ministries make up the public service. They are also sometimes referred to as the civil service or the bureaucracy.
The public service is responsible for putting policy and legislation into action. Politicians set the direction, but the public service carries this vision out.
As an advocate, it is important to work with the public service because they will likely outlast the elected government, so long-term relationships can be developed. They may also have more historical knowledge and context about your issue if they have been working in the public service for many years.
