by James Moore
ABOUT ORGANIZING FEDERAL MINISTRIES.
Establishing and re-engineering Federal Ministries should not be based on political ideology as it has been in the past. One reason is that one political ideology is replaced by another as political parties come in and out of power. It should be based on the best configuration for Canadians at large over the long term. Simply look south at our neighbouring Federal Government and the wholesale gutting and in some cases elimination of Departments and Agencies to see how political ideology can damage the effectiveness of a federal public service.
In recent years and certainly in the last decade, the lines between the authority and responsibility of Ministers of the Crown, deputy ministers and departmental staff in at least some ministries have become blurred. Yes, the Minister is accountable for the actions of his department. But his job is not to direct the operations of the department. That is the purview of the Deputy Minister. Too many Ministerial staff attempt to dabble in the operations of the department by giving direction to staff often at the DG level and down. The ministers and their staff should stick to their knitting, providing political and broad policy advice to cabinet and the prime minister, and as member of Parliament, looking after his constituency through his constituency office.
The government should encourage Ministers to hire their staff based on merit. Not because the father of some young bright policy wonk contributed mightily to the election of the Minister. This is particularly true for the Chief of Staff to a Minister- a critical position for the success of that Minister. If not already in place the PMO should build an inventory of candidates that survives changes in Government. A good percentage of the ministerial staff should be seconded for a period of time from competent experienced departmental staff, particularly at the start of a minister’s mandate to help the minister‘s office understand what’s going on in the department, its mandate operations, etc.
Individuals should not be promoted to the Assistant Deputy Ministers or Director General level with only policy experience. They should have some experience in managing the delivery of services/ operations to Canadians. A good example would be the Canadian Armed Forces. Seldom will you find a high-ranking Admiral or General who has not had some field/in theatre operational experience. The government might want to develop an exchange program whereby senior Ottawa-based public servants with no operational experience can relocate for a minimum two-year period to a region of Canada with a significant federal departmental presence. And vice versa. Yes, it will cost some money to do it, but it will certainly enrich the experience of senior officials in government.
Job hopscotching is particularly prevalent these days within the public service. There are too many employees who spend two little time in their jobs in favour of winning promotions by moving from department to department. Hence they contribute little to their department, they simply spend their energy manoeuvring for their next move and promotion. This has a damaging impact on morale for those who are left behind. It should be understood that you do not accept a job at the EX level unless you agree to spend a minimum of three to four years in that position.
Some departments, particularly large departments, have all of their regional operations reporting to a Regional ADM based in headquarters in Ottawa. That disempowers senior managers who run the regional operations. The RDG level Ex2/3 managing a department’s operations in major Centres outside the NCR should report directly to the Deputy Minister.
DOWNSIZING THE FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE
There has been considerable restructuring of Government Departments over the last decade. There are, for arguments sake, 23 core federal Ministries. Aside from implementing some major policy changes by the most recent government, example centralizing military procurement, why restructure these ministries? Similarly leave Crown Corporations alone. With the exception of the CBC, Canada Post, some major bridges in Montreal. CATCA, the others bring in far more revenues for the Canadian taxpayer than they cost in appropriations.
James Moore is a retired military officer and Government of Canada Assistant Deputy Minister. He has served in both regional and Headquarters senior positions.
