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Finding her way to public administration

Posted by Miriam Breslow on May 12, 2017 in News

Charcy Britten-Boudreau has been interested in the public service for most of her life, but she didnā€™t always realize it. Poised to graduate from the Master of Public Administration program, she tried a few different paths before choosing this one.

Growing up in Cape Breton, Britten-Boudreau learned about civic engagement from her father, a local politician. ā€œI used to help my dad pass out flyers and knock on doors so as a child I got to learn the importance of local politics,ā€ she explains. ā€œHowever, I lost touch with this interest growing up.ā€ Britten-Boudreau entered Dalhousie as a Bachelor of Arts student, switched to the Faculty of Science after a year, and then finally joined the Faculty of Managementā€™s Bachelor of Management program. ā€œI took Management 1000 as an elective when I was in science, and realized it was where I belonged,ā€ she recalls. "My mother always encouraged me to follow my dream, and find where I was a perfect fit." And in the Bachelor of Management, two core courses about government structure caused a revelation. ā€œWhen I took those courses I realized, ā€˜oh yes, of course, I do love this stuff,ā€™ā€ she says. She began considering further study of the public service, and decided to stay at pilipiliĀž»­ and earn a masterā€™s degree in the School of Public Administration (SPA).

ā€œI really enjoy looking at how things are done in government, and how the structure works,ā€ says Britten-Boudreau. During her graduate studies, she learned this subject not only through classes, but also during an internship in the safety branch of Nova Scotiaā€™s Department of Labour and Advanced Education. ā€œI loved being there,ā€ says Britten-Boudreau, who stayed on part-time for a term after her internship. She already had exposure to this field from a Management work term with the Workersā€™ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, and knew sheā€™d love working with the regulatory side of safety.

Another highlight of her time in the SPA, says Britten-Boudreau, was chairing the 17th annual Atlantic Conference on Public Administration. Itā€™s the largest conference for public servants east of Montreal, and is hosted every year by the SPA. ā€œWe got approximately 200 delegates, which is almost double the number from past years,ā€ she says. ā€œAnd we got not only public servants and private sector entrepreneurs in the door, but also indigenous community leaders, and we brought in all levels of government.ā€

While Britten-Boudreau loved her MPA classes, some of most important things she learned came from outside the classroom: ā€œIn the first year of the program, the coursework is very heavy and because of that youā€™re with your classmates all the time,ā€ she says. ā€œBecause weā€™re all going to be public servants one day, building those relationships is key. I don't know everything, but I really trust these people, so I know Iā€™ll be able to look to them for answers and support when Iā€™m at a standstill.ā€ With classmates now scattering to various parts Canada, Britten-Boudreau points out that they can contact each other for ideas about how to address issues in their own regions.

For Britten-Boudreau, tackling issues at home is important. Upon graduation she will begin work with the Office of Service Nova Scotia as their first ever Management Trainee. ā€œI think my long-term plan is finding exactly where I fit, finding an area that really interests me so I can make genuine changes that would be good for the province,ā€ she says. ā€œI aspire to be a deputy minister one day, so I hope that the experiences Iā€™m building now in different departments will shape me as a public servant in order to be a pilipiliĀž»­ful deputy minister.ā€

Britten-Boudreau isnā€™t looking for a career as a politician, she says, but acknowledges that her plans could change. Right now, sheā€™s ā€œhalfway thereā€ to following in her fatherā€™s footsteps. Her family ties also helped her through her degreeā€”ā€œI am so grateful to my family for supporting me during these crazy years,ā€ she says.Ā "I would not be here today without the love and support from my mother, step-father and partner, along with the encouragement from my dad."

After these ā€œcrazy years,ā€ Britten-Boudreau is eager to graduate. ā€œI thought when I finished my undergrad that Iā€™d go out into the world a little bit and then get my masterā€™s degree,ā€ she recalls. ā€œBut Iā€™m extremely happy that I did it right away, because now I have an actual career path. Iā€™m even more excited now to go out into the world.ā€