Public Sector Podcast: Moving Forward - An Update on NextGen Pay and HR for the Government of Canada

In this explosive and refreshingly candid episode, Alex Benay, Associate Deputy Minister, (Enterprise Pay Coordination), Public Services and Procurement Canada and Karen Figuerola, Partner, People Consulting, EY pull no punches as they outline the deep-rooted cultural and systemic challenges plaguing HR and pay in the Government of Canada—and what it’s going to take to fix them. From failed systems and outdated norms to transformative new tools like Dayforce, this conversation explores how true change requires more than just technology - it demands a seismic cultural shift.

Expect bold insights on everything from AI and automation to data transparency, executive accountability, and the importance of leadership that’s unafraid to fail forward.

Key Discussion Points

• Reimagining Pay & HR
  The vision? Seamless user experience. No bureaucracy. Real-time access to HR/pay data, intuitive mobile services—and no one should ever need to know the name of the HR/pay system again.

• Dayforce as a Modern Solution
  Following rigorous evaluation, Dayforce emerged as a transformative platform with 80–91% fit out-of-the-box, only 10 cloud extensions (vs. 3000+ customizations in the current system), and enterprise-grade capabilities.

• Adapt to Adopt
  Cultural transformation is core. Departments must align to a unified platform—no exceptions. From policy changes to process redesign, success depends on shifting behaviours, not just systems.

• The High Cost of Failure
  Phoenix is called “the biggest failure in Canadian public service history”—with a $6–7B price tag. The new approach is founded on transparency, user-centred design, and ruthless simplification.

• Radical Transparency
  All project decisions, records, and performance dashboards are publicly available. This is the most transparent digital transformation in Canadian history—and pressure is a privilege.

• AI, Automation & People-Centred Design
  With 1.6M manual transactions processed annually, AI is key to triaging workloads and cleaning data. But the ultimate mission? Treat every federal employee with dignity and respect.

Why You Should Listen

Whether you're in public sector leadership, digital transformation, or simply want to understand how big government can move boldly, this episode is a raw, honest, and inspiring case study in what it really takes to lead change—at scale, under scrutiny, and with people at the centre.

Quotable Moments

“You shouldn't even know the name of your HR/pay system. It should just work.”

“This isn’t about HR or pay. It’s about how we’ve mistreated people—and how we make that right.”

“Red is good. If you don’t escalate a problem, I can’t fix it.”

“Pressure is a privilege. Transparency is non-negotiable.”