Canada's representative democracy is confronting important challenges. At the top of the list is the growing inability of the national government to perform its most important roles: namely mapping out collective actions that resonate in all regions as well as enforcing these measures. Others include Parliament's failure to carry out important responsibilities, an activist judiciary, incessant calls for greater transparency, the media's rapidly changing role, and a federal government bureaucracy that has lost both its way and its standing. Arguing that Canadians must reconsider the origins of their country in order to understand why change is difficult and why they continue to embrace regional identities, Democracy in Canada explains how Canada's national institutions were shaped by British historical experiences, and why there was little effort to bring Canadian realities into the mix. As a result, the scope and size of government and Canadian federalism have taken on new forms largely outside the Constitution. Parliament and now even Cabinet have been pushed aside so that policy makers can design and manage the modern state. This also accounts for the average citizen's belief that national institutions cater to economic elites, to these institutions' own members, and to interest groups at citizens' own expense. A masterwork analysis, Democracy in Canada investigates the forces shaping the workings of Canadian federalism and the country's national political and bureaucratic institutions.

Democracy in Canada: The Disintegration of Our Institutions

Politics & Social Sciences

Savoie, Donald J.

Politics & Government

McGill-Queen's University Press

Government: Have Presidents and Prime Ministers Misdiagnosed the Patient? (Volume 5) (McGill-Queen's/Brian Mulroney Institute of Government Studies in Leadership, Public Policy, and Governance)

Social Sciences

Canada's political structure runs contrary to North America's economic geography and the north-south economic pull. Canada imported political and administrative institutions designed for a unitary state, and its political leaders have struggled to make them work since the country was founded. Because of this, many Canadians, their communities, and their regions view themselves as victims, to a greater degree than groups in other Western democracies do. Our federal government has shown a greater willingness to apologize for historical wrongs than other Western countries. Canada also outperforms other nations in helping victims make the transition to full participants in the country's political and economic life. Donald Savoie maintains that Canada continues to thrive despite the many shortcomings in its national political institutions and the tendency of Canadians to see themselves as victims, and that our history and these shortcomings have taught us the art of compromise. Canada's constitution and its political institutions amplify rather than attenuate victimization; however, they have also enabled Canadians to manage the issue better than other countries. Canadians also recognize that the alternative to Canada is worse, and this more than anything else continues to strengthen national unity. Drawing on his extensive experience in academe and as an advisor to governments, Savoie provides new insights into how Canada works for Canadians.

Canada: Beyond Grudges, Grievances, and Disunity

La structure politique du Canada va à l'encontre de la géographie économique de l'Amérique du Nord et de l'attraction économique entre le nord et le sud. Le Canada a importé des institutions politico-administratives conçues pour un État unitaire et, depuis la fondation du pays, ses leaders politiques se sont démenés pour qu'elles fonctionnent. Pour cette raison, plusieurs Canadien.ne.s, leurs communautés et leurs régions se perçoivent comme des victimes, et ce, à un degré plus élevé que chez d'autres groupes dans des démocraties occidentales. Notre gouvernement fédéral a démontré un plus grand empressement à s'excuser pour des injustices que les autres pays occidentaux. Le Canada est également plus performant que d'autres nations dans l'aide qu'il apporte aux victimes pour qu'elles fassent la transition les menant à participer pleinement à la vie politique et économique du pays. Donald Savoie soutient que le Canada continue à prospérer malgré les nombreux défauts de ses institutions politiques nationales et le penchant qu'ont les Canadien.ne.s à se voir comme des victimes, et que notre histoire et ces défauts nous ont appris l'art du compromis. La constitution du Canada et ses institutions politiques amplifient plus qu'elles n'atténuent la victimisation ; cependant, elles ont également permis aux Canadien.ne.s de mieux gérer cet enjeu que dans d'autres pays. Les Canadien.ne.s reconnaissent aussi que l'alternative au Canada est pire, et cela, plus que tout autre chose, continue à renforcer l'unité nationale. Puisant dans sa longue expérience dans le monde universitaire et en tant que conseiller auprès des gouvernements, Savoie propose de nouvelles manières de voir comment le Canada travaille pour sa population.

Le Canada: Au-delà des rancunes, des doléances et de la discorde (French Edition)

Speaking Truth to Canadians about Their Public Service

Louis J. Robichaud, the first elected Acadian premier of New Brunswick, transformed an inward-looking province with an ingrained aversion to change into a vibrant modern society now home to strong political, administrative, and educational institutions. Donald Savoie draws a portrait of adroit political leadership and of a man who, recognizing his province’s need for modernization, rose unwaveringly to the demands of office and ushered in profound and enduring change for Acadians and for all New Brunswickers. In a timely biography informed by a long friendship between fellow Acadians, Savoie contrasts the challenges of governing New Brunswick in the 1960s with those faced by governments and political leaders today to better understand the magnitude of Robichaud’s accomplishments over a ten-year span. Leading a province with a long history of intolerance towards minority groups, notably Acadians, Robichaud’s Liberal government confronted the dominant Anglo-Protestant political class and introduced reforms that included the Official Languages Act, broader access to education for francophones, the establishment of the Université de Moncton, and initiatives in regional and natural resource development, health care, and equitable public services across the province’s disparately funded urban and rural counties. Seismic changes at the time, these reforms are now woven into the social fabric of New Brunswick. Informative and lively, Louis J. Robichaud argues convincingly that while the premier’s achievements can be viewed as specific to his era, his political fortitude and vision are a model for politicians, legislators, and civil servants today.

Louis J. Robichaud: A Man for the Moment (Footprints Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Louis J. Robichaud, le premier Acadien élu premier ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick, a transformé sa province repliée sur elle-même et réfractaire au changement, en une société moderne et dynamique maintenant dotée de solides institutions politiques et administratives et d'établissements d'enseignement. Donald J. Savoie trace le portrait d'un leadership politique adroit et d'un homme qui, reconnaissant la nécessité de moderniser la province, s'est consacré sans relâche à l'exercice de sa charge et a insufflé un changement profond et durable dans la communauté acadienne et toute la population du Nouveau-Brunswick. Éclairée par une longue amitié entre confrères acadiens, cette biographie qui tombe à point met en contraste les défis de diriger le Nouveau-Brunswick dans les années 1960 et ceux auxquels les gouvernements et les dirigeants politiques font face aujourd'hui, afin de bien saisir toute la magnitude de ce que Robichaud a accompli en une décennie. Dirigeant une province marquée par une longue histoire d'intolérance envers les groupes minoritaires, notamment les Acadiens, le gouvernement libéral de Robichaud a tenu tête à la classe politique anglo-protestante dominante et adopté des réformes qui comprenaient la Loi sur les langues officielles, un accès élargi à l'éducation pour les Acadiens, la création de l'Université de Moncton et des initiatives liées au développement régional, à l'exploitation des ressources naturelles, aux soins de santé et à l'équité des services publics dans tous les comtés ruraux et urbains de la province, au financement très inégal. Ces réformes, véritables changements sismiques à l'époque, forment maintenant la trame du tissu social du Nouveau-Brunswick. Informative et vivante, cette biographie de Robichaud fait valoir avec éloquence que si les réalisations du premier ministre peuvent être considérées comme particulières à son époque, son courage politique et sa vision sont un modèle pour les politiciens, les législateurs et les fonctionnaires actuels.

Le moment était venu pour quelqu'un comme lui: Louis J. Robichaud (Footprints Series) (French Edition)

Inspired by the realization that, in most countries, the commitment to regional development is determined by national ideological swings rather than the socio-economic conditions in a particular region (here meaning an area smaller than a country). Surveys and evaluates the history of regional polic

Regional Policy in a Changing World (Environment, Development and Public Policy: Cities and Development)

Hansen, Niles

Higgins, Benjamin

Reference

Springer

Fiscal cutbacks, the public's declining confidence in government, and new ideologies are forcing the public sector in industrialized democracies to undertake major reforms. In these essays contributing authors examine changes to the political and economic environment and the ways in which governments have responded. The essays explain what is happening in government in the late twentieth century and suggest changes that can be expected in the future.

Governance in a Changing Environment (Governance and Public Management) (Volume 1)

Peters, Guy

Administrative Law

McGill University Libraries

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Savoie, Donald J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Savoie, Donald J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Savoie, Donald J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Democracy in Canada: The Disintegration of Our Institutions

Government: Have Presidents and Prime Ministers Misdiagnosed the Patient? (Volume 5) (McGill-Queen's/Brian Mulroney Institute of Government Studies in Leadership, Public Policy, and Governance)

Canada: Beyond Grudges, Grievances, and Disunity

Le Canada: Au-delà des rancunes, des doléances et de la discorde (French Edition)

Speaking Truth to Canadians about Their Public Service

Louis J. Robichaud: A Man for the Moment (Footprints Series)

Le moment était venu pour quelqu'un comme lui: Louis J. Robichaud (Footprints Series) (French Edition)

Regional Policy in a Changing World (Environment, Development and Public Policy: Cities and Development)

Governance in a Changing Environment (Governance and Public Management) (Volume 1)

Governance in a Changing Environment (Governance and Public Management) (Volume 1)