LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR RECOGNIZES JEANNINE LAGASSÉ FOR EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

A public servant in Nova Scotia for over twenty-five years, Jeannine Lagassé has made an outstanding contribution to public administration in the province as an innovator in the development of sound public policy and a leader in service and program delivery to residents. Her experience and contributions span legal services, to the executive branch of government with a focus on governance and accountability, to her most recent role at the senior-most level in the field of health and wellness.

Lagassé was deeply involved in providing legal guidance in the establishment of Nova Business Incorporated (today part of Invest Nova Scotia), in the early 2000s when a more decentralized approach to business and economic development was adopted by the government.

During her time in the Executive Council Office, she designed and launched a governance and accountability branch in order to introduce formalized governance, while providing accountability measures for departments and Crown agencies that were consistent, transparent and accessible. Later as Secretary to Cabinet, she did much to innovate the Westminster model of parliamentary democracy to improve the organizational systems and accountability mechanism for the greater good. Lagassé led the modernization of ECO’s approach to systems thinking, which linked the development and assessment of public policy to appropriate budgeting and the cross-department implementation of corporate strategy and service delivery models.

In her role as Associate Deputy Minister of Health and Wellness, and then as Deputy Minister of the same Department, Lagassé played a key management role throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. She led the team that problem solved, reallocated resources, enabled the procurement of personal protective equipment during a world-wide shortage, supported testing and vaccine protocols, and was a stalwart support to Dr. Strang and public health; all this while supporting and keeping staff engaged.

A key leader in the Health Leadership Team – charged with transforming health care in Nova Scotia – Lagassé has been a significant and central leader, cementing relationships between government, the health authorities and other key health care partners. She has travelled throughout the province with her Health Leadership Team colleagues, to hear the real-time concerns of Nova Scotians in an effort to fully understand the opportunities and threats to our healthcare system.

A model of transparency and always keen to receive firsthand accounts of the experiences of health care system users and frontline healthcare providers, Lagassé has demonstrated courage and commitment to improving the delivery of health services. Her commitment to system improvement is clear, but most importantly, her commitment to improving the health care experiences and outcomes for Nova Scotians is paramount.

Aside from her professional contributions, she has been an active volunteer with a number of organizations, notably the Halifax Grammar School and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. Lagassé has a commitment to life-long learning by constantly immersing herself in various professional and community organizations.

From left: IPAC Chair Emma Miller, Jeannine Lagassé, LG Hon. Arthur Leblanc, Rosemarie Leblanc, Matt Rios, Davis Pier associate partner.

Quick facts

  • 36 people have been awarded the medal since 1986

  • The award recipient is chosen from nominations submitted by the government and academic organizations each year

  • The Institute of Public Administration of Canada includes members from all levels of government, public sector bodies and institutions

Additional Resources:

IPAC Nova Scotia