Extras · 1 of 4

A typical day

Start with the news, because someone senior will ask about it. Most of the day is reading: legislation, data tables, what other provinces or countries did. Then writing, usually a briefing note squeezed into one or two pages. Meetings with other departments who want a different outcome than yours. A rushed request in the afternoon because a minister has a question and the answer is due tomorrow morning. Long stretches of quiet research, punctuated by short bursts of panic.