PM Stephen Harper presents the Outstanding Achievement Award for the public service

Toronto: Prime Minister Stephen Harper today presented the Public Service of Canada’s Outstanding Achievement Award to Ian Burney, Assistant Deputy Minister of Trade Agreements and Negotiations at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada. During a ceremony at Rideau Hall, hosted by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, Mr. Burney was honoured for his sustained commitment to excellence, leadership and innovation.

Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Burney has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing Canada’s international interests and its economic prosperity. His leadership, negotiating skills and credibility with the business community across Canada have been instrumental in shaping and advancing the most ambitious and wide-ranging trade negotiations agenda in Canadian history, including playing a major role in the recent conclusion of negotiations for both the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement and the Canada-European Union Trade Agreement.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that “I am pleased today to recognize an exceptional member of the Public Service of Canada. Throughout his career, Ian Burney has contributed to advancing Canada’s commercial interests in the world, including playing a major role in the recent conclusion of negotiations for both the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement and the Canada-European Union Trade Agreement. In so doing he has embodied the ideals of public service: integrity, vision and a commitment to excellence.”

The Government of Canada introduced the Outstanding Achievement Award in 1966. This award is considered the highest expression of recognition for senior public servants in the Public Service of Canada. It is presented to senior public servants whose leadership has been distinguished by a sustained commitment to excellence, with an emphasis on modernizing service delivery, building the public service as a vibrant national institution geared to future needs, or enhancing Canadian interests globally. The award emphasizes the importance that the Government attaches to efficient operations in the public service and to the provision of quality service to Canadians.

Each award consists of a gold pin, a work of Canadian art, and a formal citation signed by the Prime Minister and the Governor General of Canada. A total of 89 awards have been conferred since the program’s inception, including this year’s recipient. A list of previous recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Award as well as details of the recognition program may be found on the Outstanding Achievement Award page of the Privy Council Office website (www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/oaa-psi).

The Selection Committee for the Outstanding Achievement Award consists of distinguished Canadians appointed by the Prime Minister. The committee reviews nominations and makes its recommendations directly to the Prime Minister. To be eligible for consideration, candidates must be professionals at the executive, deputy head or equivalent levels, including Governor-in-Council appointees, and occupying a full-time position in the Public Service of Canada at the time of nomination.

Throughout his distinguished career, Ian Burney has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing Canada’s international interests and its economic prosperity. His leadership, negotiating skills and credibility with the business community across Canada have been instrumental in shaping and advancing the most ambitious and wide-ranging trade negotiations agenda in Canadian history.

As Director General of the Bilateral and Regional Trade Policy Bureau from 2004 to 2006, Mr. Burney set the stage for the paradigm shift in Canadian trade policy that would follow.  Canada’s negotiating agenda at that time was focused largely on the World Trade Organization and a handful of small bilateral partners. Recognizing the risks to Canadian interests posed by the delay in concluding multilateral negotiations while other nations pursued preferential market access deals amongst themselves, Mr. Burney set about to shift the focus of Canadian trade policy to the bilateral and regional arena. He was appointed Chief Negotiator (Bilateral and Regional) in 2006, and played a direct role in anchoring this new direction in Canadian trade policy in the context of the Government’s 2007 Global Commerce Strategy, which in turn became an integral element of the broader Economic Action Plan.

As Assistant Deputy Minister of the International Business Development, Investment and Innovation Branch from 2009-2011, and of the Trade Agreements and Negotiations Branch since 2011, Mr. Burney has been a driving force in the implementation of the Government’s trade agenda at the helm of both major business lines in the trade portfolio.

Under Mr. Burney’s leadership, Canada’s trade negotiators have concluded and implemented Free Trade Agreements with ten countries in the past six years:

• Canada-Korea FTA (2015)
• Canada-Honduras FTA (2014)
• Canada-Panama FTA (2013)
• Canada-Jordan FTA (2012)
• Canada-Colombia FTA (2011)
• Canada-Peru FTA (2009)
• Canada-European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) FTA (2009)

Since 2011 when Mr. Burney assumed his current role, his branch has concluded more than a dozen new Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements, including the Agreement with China which entered into force in October 2014, and 30 new or expanded Air Transport Agreements. Mr. Burney also played an important management role in supporting the negotiations for the historic Canada-European Union Trade Agreement, and was a key player in the successful campaign to secure Canada’s participation in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.

Among Mr. Burney’s most significant achievements is the role he played as Chief Negotiator for the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement negotiations from their outset in 2005. His tireless efforts and perseverance throughout this challenging process ultimately resulted in the successful conclusion of this Agreement, announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Park Geun-hye in March 2014. This landmark Agreement — Canada’s first in the Asia Pacific region – entered into force on January 1, 2015, and is expected to increase Canada’s GDP by close to $2 billion annually. As well, it has strengthened Canada’s position in other ongoing negotiations including the Economic Partnership Agreement initiative with Japan, for which Mr. Burney also serves as Chief Negotiator.

Mr. Burney exemplifies the attributes of an outstanding leader. He is results-oriented, and has earned the trust and respect of private sector stakeholders, colleagues at all levels of government and counterparts in foreign governments. Collectively, the numerous trade initiatives negotiated under Mr. Burney’s watch have had and continue to have significant positive impacts on the Canadian economy, and represent a lasting legacy of his efforts to advance Canadian interests abroad.

Mr. Burney is currently Assistant Deputy Minister of Trade Agreements and Negotiations at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.