Gomery's Blinders and Canadian Federalism

Gomery's Blinders and Canadian Federalism PDF Author: Ruth Hubbard
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776606417
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 137

Book Description
In 2004, Paul Martin asked Justice John Gomery to lead a public inquiry into potential misspending in the federal Sponsorship Program—a relatively small investment of the taxpayer’s money to try to convince Quebeckers of the benefits of Canadian federalism in the aftermath of the 1995 referendum on Quebec separation. The Gomery Inquiry chose to focus exclusively on the sordid details of the dirty tricks of money laundering and to pay no attention to the deeper causes and sources of the problem: the dysfunctions of an existing centralized governing apparatus that is tearing the fabric of the country apart, and the collusion of centralizing groups to defend the status quo.

Gomery's Blinders and Canadian Federalism

Gomery's Blinders and Canadian Federalism PDF Author: Ruth Hubbard
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776618490
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 137

Book Description
In 2004, Paul Martin asked Justice John Gomery to lead a public inquiry into potential misspending in the federal Sponsorship Program, a relatively small investment of taxpayers' money to try to convince Quebeckers of the benefits of Canadian federalism in the aftermath of the 1995 referendum on Quebec separation. The Gomery inquiry chose to focus exclusively on the sordid details of the money laundering and paid no attention to the deeper causes and sources of the problem: the dysfunctions of an existing centralized governing apparatus that is tearing the fabric of the country apart and the collusion of centralizing groups defending the status quo.

The Case for Decentralized Federalism

The Case for Decentralized Federalism PDF Author: Gilles Paquet
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776607456
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Book Description
Debating federalism in Canada.

Searching for Leadership

Searching for Leadership PDF Author: Patrice Dutil
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 144269310X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 265

Book Description
Although the subject of "leadership" is a hot topic, it has never attracted much attention in the public sector. Searching for Leadership is the first book to examine the evolving role and leadership of the highest-ranking public servant in Ottawa or in any of Canada's Provinces and Territories, the Secretary to Cabinet, or the "Clerk." Arguing that the leadership role of the Secretary to Cabinet must be appreciated and understood in light of modern management practices and the centralization of administrative practices, the contributors to this volume present a mixture of approaches to the position: literature reviews, structural approaches, and biographical case studies of influential Secretaries to the Cabinet. Analyzing the role of Secretaries to the Cabinet in Ottawa as well as in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, and Ontario, the contributors detail the roles, key functions and impact of these highly influential public servants, highlighting the ways in which the leadership skills of Secretaries to the Cabinet have changed and responded to change. An important contribution to understanding Canadian governance and public management, Searching for Leadership is essential reading for scholars and students in political science, history, public administration and management, as well as public servants.

The Judicial Role in a Diverse Federation

The Judicial Role in a Diverse Federation PDF Author: Robert Schertzer
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1487510632
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
In The Judicial Role in a Diverse Federation, Robert Schertzer uses the example of the Supreme Court of Canada to examine how apex courts manage diversity and conflict in federal states. Schertzer argues that in a diverse federation where the nature of the federal system is contested the courts should facilitate negotiation between conflicting parties, rather than impose their own vision of the federal system. Drawing on a comprehensive review of the Supreme Court federalism jurisprudence between 1980 and 2010, he demonstrates that the court has increasingly adopted this approach of facilitating negotiation by acknowledging the legitimacy of different understandings of the Canadian federation. This book will be required reading both for those interested in Canada’s Supreme Court and for those engaged in broader debates about the use of federalism in multinational states.

Intelligent Governance

Intelligent Governance PDF Author: Paquet Gilles
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776638424
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227

Book Description
Striking the right fit between resources, processes, and outcomes in complex environments, where different groups have something to contribute towards joint outcomes, even though they partake in joint operations in the pursuit of their own objectives This is what intelligent governance is all about. It is the practical application of an evolving worldview that is a less conflictive, more intelligent, more cooperative and a wiser mode of human coordination. This short book proposes some guideposts for intelligent governance. It does not put forward a rigid blueprint or a recipe that could mechanically and blindly be followed, but a prototype for a process of inquiry seeking to help organizations find a way forward (through innovation and value adding), some general indications about the most toxic pitfalls likely to materialize mental prisons, lack of mindfulness, etc. and comments about the most promising opportunities or initiatives likely to nudge the coordinating inquiries into successful directions.

The Black Hole of Public Administration

The Black Hole of Public Administration PDF Author: Ruth Hubbard
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776619179
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 540

Book Description
Public administration in Canada needs to change. A handful of scholars across Canada have been sounding the alarm for years but to no avail. Talented young bureaucrats have been joining the public service with fresh ideas capable of creating real change, but the black hole consumes all. In The Black Hole of Public Administration, experienced public servant Ruth Hubbard and public administration iconoclast Gilles Paquet sound a wake-up call to the federal public service. They lament the lack of “serious play” going on in Canada’s public administration today and map some possible escape plans. They look to a more participatory governance model – “open source” governing or “small g” governance – as a way to liberate our public service from antiquated styles and systems of governing. In their recognizably rebellious style, Hubbard and Paquet demand that public administration scholars and senior level bureaucrats pull their heads out of the sand and confront the problems of the current system and develop a new system that can address the needs of Canada today.

Gilles Paquet

Gilles Paquet PDF Author: Caroline Andrew
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776618695
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 404

Book Description
This volume explores and contextualizes the contributions of Gilles Paquet as a social scientist. A quintessential public intellectual, Gilles Paquet's long and multifaceted career has shown him to be a thinker of significant power and creativity. This self-described "homo hereticus"--always critical and sometimes controversial--has influenced scholars and policy makers in Canada and around the globe. The contributors reveal how his assessments of economics, politics, public administration, and education have stirred their minds and helped them make sense of the world around them. The volume also provides comments on Paquet's vision of governance, touching on concepts of which he has made extensive use: meso-analysis, social learning, and moral contracts.

Probing the Bureaucratic Mind

Probing the Bureaucratic Mind PDF Author: Ruth Hubbard
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 0776638548
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 131

Book Description
This book explores the thinking of Canadian federal public service senior executives through conversations. The transformation of the environment and of the institutional order has created quite a challenge: maintaining some sort of adequacy between these evolving realities and the frames of reference in use by public sector executives. Complexity is often nothing more than a name for a new order calling for a new frame of reference, and the reluctance to abandon old conceptual frameworks is often responsible for fundamental learning disabilities. Through a series of conversations with Canadian federal senior executives about more and more daunting problems - from coping with an evolving context, to engaging intelligently with a new modus operandi, to trying to nudge and tweak programs in order to correct toxic pathologies, to reframing perceptions and redesigning organizations to meet the new challenges—weaknesses of the capabilities of the Canadian federal executives to respond to current challenges were revealed, and suggestions made about ways to kick start a process of refurbishment of these capabilities.

Defending a Contested Ideal

Defending a Contested Ideal PDF Author: Luc Juillet
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
ISBN: 077661777X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265

Book Description
In 1908, after decades of struggling with a public administration undermined by systemic patronage, the Canadian parliament decided that public servants would be selected on the basis of merit, through a system administered by an independent agency: the Public Service Commission of Canada. This history, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Commission, recounts its unique contribution to the development of an independent public service, which has become a pillar of Canadian parliamentary democracy.