Class of January 26

• Student presentation on Harper and Obama websites• Accountability• Upward delegation• Review of 2009 budget• Priority setting

Student Presentations• One group of students to analyze Prime Minister

Harper’s website (pm.gc.ca) in terms of balance between personality and policy, branding and look and feel, opportunities for citizen engagement, social networking, language use, provision for disabilities, privacy policy (Kaylee Chretien, Karla Salazar, Ashley Chow).

• Another group of students to analyze President Obama’s website (whitehouse.gov) in terms of the same categories (Taslima Nasid, Naghma Siddiqui).

Institutions of Accountability

• Ministers accountable to Parliament – question period, debate, media attention, committees of Parliament

• Auditor General: audit of government departments and programs, results made public, Auditor General an agent of Parliament, not the government

• Judicial inquiries, testimony under oath, report issued to evaluate individual behaviour, make systemic recommendations (e.g. Gomery Commission)

• Criminal investigations and prosecution: sponsorship affair, RCMP investigation about insider trading in income trusts prior to Liberal government announcement of tax changes in 2005 resulting in charges against one senior public servant in Finance

Ministerial Accountability to the Legislature

• Government is accountable to and must have the confidence of a majority of the legislature (Martin government lost confidence vote in November 2005, hence 2006 election)

• Ministers are accountable to the legislature for their departments, i.e. their actions, those of their personal staff and departmental officials

• If ministers or personal staff make mistakes (errors of judgment, corruption, lying to legislature) the PM may “ask the minister to resign”

• If departmental officials make mistakes, ministers have responsibility to take corrective action, but need not resign

Accountability of Public Servants

• Public servants are professional and non-partisan, capable of serving any “government of the day”

• Legislative committees have party representation in same proportions as full legislature, discussions less partisan and more technical than in legislature; public servants are answerable to legislative committees by giving the facts, but not defending or promoting the policies, decisions, and actions of the minister

Upward Delegation

• What is it?Why does Blakeney think it is a problem for politicians?• Prevents politicians from judging wisdom of public

servants’ advice• Leads to overemphasis on administrative feasibility• Wastes politician’s time• Co-opts politician, leads to his unhappiness if

proposal rejected by Cabinet

Federal Budget 2009

$ billions 2008-09 2009-10 2010-2011Revenue 236 225 240Program expense

207 229 237

Debt charges 31 30 33Total expense 238 259 270(deficit) (1) (34) (30)Total debt 459 493 522Debt/GDP 29 % 32 % 32 %

Assumptions that matter

• Canada real growth: -.8 % in 2009, 2.4 % in 2010• US real growth: -1.8 % in 2009, 2.1 % in 2010• Oil price: $50 US/barrel in 2009, $ 64 US/barrel in

2010• Unemployment rate: 7.5 % in 2009, 7.7 % in 2010• Canadian dollar: $.81 US in 2009, $ .86 US in 2010

Budget measures

• $50 billion for CMHC to purchase mortgages from banks => more lending

• Permanent income tax cuts of $20B over 6 years: higher basic personal exemption and maxima for two lowest tax rates

• EI benefits extended by 5 weeks for next two years, EI premium rates frozen below break-even level

• One year home renovation tax credit of 15% of expenses over $1000 up to $10,000 ($1350)

Universities, students, training

• $2 billion over 2 years to repair, retrofit, expand facilities (50% match)

• $88 million to expand Canada Graduate Scholarships for 3 years

• $55 million over 2 years for summer jobs• $175 aboriginal employment and training• $50 million foreign credentials recognition

program (working with provinces)

Other measures

• $1 billion over 2 years for renovations and energy retrofit for social housing (50 % match with provinces)

• $2 billion over 2 years in low-cost loans to municipalities

• $4 billion over 2 year Infrastructure Stimulus Fund (50 % match with provinces or municipalities)

• $407 million VIA Rail service improvement (Montreal-Toronto-Ottawa corridor)

And other measures

• $500 million for electronic health records• $225 million for rural broadband Internet• $212 million for Champlain Bridge (Montreal)• $130 million for Trans-Canada Highway in Banff

National Park• $1 billion over 5 years for new Southern Ontario

Development Agency• 100% CCA (depreciation) for computers bought

between Feb. 2009 and Feb. 2011

Some patterns

• Permanent tax cuts key component of Conservative ideology

• Leverage: other partners must match federal contribution => federal contribution goes farther

• Industry lobbying (expensing computers)• Regional politics (South. Ont. Dev. Agency)• Solutions in search of problems (departmental wish-

lists)

Priority SettingWhere do priorities come from ?• Election mandate (GST cut, universal child care

benefit)• Forced on government (current recession, 9/11,

public sector debt problem in mid-90s, 1995 Quebec referendum)

• Chosen by PM (Mulroney and Free Trade, Chretien and support for universities – Goldenberg, chapter 21)

• Public opinion (Harper government’s evolving policy on climate change)

How many and when?

• Have only a few priorities • Set priorities early in the mandate, announce

them in Speech from the Throne• Implement priorities quickly• Have programs running smoothly by next

election (e.g., universal child care benefit, child fitness tax credit)

Organizational Structure for Complex Priorities

• Special Purpose Agency (Blakeney secretariats, Chretien program review secretariat, Mulroney Trade Negotiation Office, new federal agency – infrastructure office?)

• Senior minister in charge (e.g. Manley on response to 9/11) • Ad hoc cabinet committee to oversee process• Oversight from PMO (Goldenberg role)• Agency or secretariat led by a deputy minister, sometimes

from the outside• Best public servants often seconded to the special purpose

agency (the place to be)

Student Presentations for Feb. 2

• Read the New York City 2009 Mayor’s Management report press release and then look at the complete report in one area (e.g. education or policing). For that area, are the objectives appropriate? Are there enough or too many? How are objectives linked to resources? Are the targets realistic?

• Read the Ontario Government Progress report for 2009 (ontario.ca news for Dec. 19, 2009). What are the major achievements the government claims in the areas of health and education? Assume you are the opposition critic in those areas. What shortcomings would you point out regarding the government’s claims?

Class of February 2

• The budget process• Performance management• Student presentation about performance

management in NYC and Ontario• Information about mid-term