Worrying about misconduct: The control lobby and the PS 2000 reforms

Canadian Public Administration

Volumn 39, Issue 4, 1996, Pages 489-523

  Roberts, Alasdair ^a,b  

^a QUEEN S UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^b UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 0039017461     PISSN: 00084840     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1754-7121.1996.tb00147.x     Document Type: Article

References (136)

1. See John J. DiIulio Jr., "What is deregulating the public service?" in John J. DiIulio Jr., ed., Deregulating the Public Service (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1994), pp. 1-11; and B. Guy Peters, "The public service, the changing state, and governance," in B. Guy Peters and Donald J. Savoie, eds., Governance in a Changing Environment (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press and Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Management Development, 1995), pp. 288-322.
2. See John J. DiIulio Jr., "What is deregulating the public service?" in John J. DiIulio Jr., ed., Deregulating the Public Service (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1994), pp. 1-11; and B. Guy Peters, "The public service, the changing state, and governance," in B. Guy Peters and Donald J. Savoie, eds., Governance in a Changing Environment (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press and Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Management Development, 1995), pp. 288-322.
3. Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, The Manager's Deskbook, 4th edition (Ottawa: Secretariat, 1995).
4. Paul Tellier, "Public Service 2000: Renewal of the public service," CANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 33, no. 2 (Summer 1990), p. 131.
5. David Osborne and Ted Gaebler, Reinventing Government: How the Entrepreneurial Spirit is Transforming the Public Sector from Schoolhouse to State House, City Hall to Pentagon (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1992), p. 209.
6. Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, Profile of Public Service Leaders and Managers (Ottawa: Secretariat, 1994), p. 7.
7. G. Ifill, "Bill & Al's traveling medicine show," The New York Times 9 September 1993, p. D20.
8. See Tellier, "Public Service 2000," CPA; and F.L. Seidle, "Reshaping the federal government," Policy Options 14, no. 6 (July/August 1993), pp. 24-9.
9. See Tellier, "Public Service 2000," CPA; and F.L. Seidle, "Reshaping the federal government," Policy Options 14, no. 6 (July/August 1993), pp. 24-9.
10. "Ottawa wastes 47 cents per dollar, poll indicates," The Toronto Star 7 January 1993, p. A9. A more recent Treasury Board report observes that Canadians have become "suspicious of public institutions and sceptical that governments can continue to delivery necessary services": Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, Getting Government Right: A Progress Report (Ottawa: Secretariat, 1996), p. 1.
11. "Ottawa wastes 47 cents per dollar, poll indicates," The Toronto Star 7 January 1993, p. A9. A more recent Treasury Board report observes that Canadians have become "suspicious of public institutions and sceptical that governments can continue to delivery necessary services": Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, Getting Government Right: A Progress Report (Ottawa: Secretariat, 1996), p. 1.
12. In other words, members of the control lobby collaborated, often unintentionally, in the construction of a "social problem" that focused on the risk of managerial misbehaviour rather than on waste and inefficiency within the public service. See Malcolm Spector and J. Kitsuse, Constructing Social Problems (New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1987), pp. 73-96.
13. Assuming, of course, that the PS 2000 exercise was a "failure." This is not the author's posi tion. The PS 2000 package was modified significantly in response to public criticisms, but a large part of the reform proposal was successfully implemented.
14. An earlier draft of this paper was circulated within central agencies and the OAG. Officials within the OAG believe that my characterization of its position on the PS 2000 reforms is unfair. Officials from central agencies disagree. I have attempted to respond to the concerns of OAG officials as far as it seemed reasonable to do so. It is clear that the disagreement that has arisen about this aspect of the paper is part of a larger debate within the government about the extent to which the OAG is facilitating, or obstructing, reform of the federal public service.
15. See Canada, Office of the Auditor General, Report for Fiscal Year 1983 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1983), pp. 53-87.
16. See, for example, Canada, Office of the Auditor General, Report for Fiscal Year 1988 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1988), Chapter 7; Report for Fiscal Year 1990 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1990), Chapter 7; Report for Fiscal Year 1993 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1993), Chapter 6.
17. See, for example, Canada, Office of the Auditor General, Report for Fiscal Year 1988 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1988), Chapter 7; Report for Fiscal Year 1990 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1990), Chapter 7; Report for Fiscal Year 1993 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1993), Chapter 6.
18. See, for example, Canada, Office of the Auditor General, Report for Fiscal Year 1988 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1988), Chapter 7; Report for Fiscal Year 1990 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1990), Chapter 7; Report for Fiscal Year 1993 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1993), Chapter 6.
19. Managerialism, Christopher Pollitt argues, is a philosophy built upon the belief that improved governmental performance requires that managers be granted more freedom to manage. See Managerialism and the Public Services (Oxford, U.K.: Basil Blackwell, 1990), p. 3.
20. Canada, Office of the Auditor General, PS 2000: Developing a Common Understanding (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1991), p. 14.
21. Conversation with the author, March 1996.
22. Canada, Office of the Auditor General, Report for Fiscal Year 1991 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1991), p. 131.
23. Ibid., p. 129.
24. Ibid., pp. 133-5.
25. Ibid., pp. 135-7.
26. Ibid., p. 132.
27. Canada, Office of the Auditor General, Report for the Fiscal Year 1992 (Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General, 1992), pp. 130 and 137.
28. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 26, 12 May 1992 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1992), p. 10.
29. Office of the Auditor General, Report for the Fiscal Year 1993. p. 180.
30. Ibid., pp. 214-73.
31. Office of the Auditor General, Report for the Fiscal Year 1992, p. 131.
32. See Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 2nd session, nos. 29 and 30, 27 and 29 March 1990 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1990). Eugène Bellemare, Liberal MP for Carleton-Gloucester, queried whether the government was attacking the integrity of public service employees (no. 30, pp. 9-10). Marlene Catterall, Liberal MP for Ottawa West, suggested that the government had failed to consult adequately with public servants about the proposed reforms (vol. 30, pp. 22-5).
33. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 13, 5 December 1991 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1991), pp. 16-17.
34. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 27, 14 May 1992 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1992), p. 5 and p. 7.
35. Ibid., no. 26, 12 May 1992, p. 9; no. 27, 14 May 1992, pp. 18-19 and p. 27.
36. Ibid., no. 26, 12 May 1992, p. 9; no. 27, 14 May 1992, pp. 18-19 and p. 27.
37. The phrase is that of Jean-Robert Gauthier, chair. Ibid., no. 26, 12 May 1992, p. 23.
38. Ibid., no. 27, 14 May 1992, p. 29.
39. Ibid., no. 26, 12 May 1992, pp. 17-18.
40. The OAG'S concerns were noted on pages 48-50 of his 1993 report. See also the comments by deputy auditor general Lawrence Meyers before the public accounts committee (Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 35th Parliament, 1st Session, no. 1, 22 February 1994 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1994), p. 26. One MP, linking the bartering issue with allegations of mismanagement in the Northern Cod Adjustment and Recovery Program, observed: "The Department of Oceans and Fisheries seems to be somewhat a law unto itself. Perhaps that's a bit of an overstatement. What's going on over there?" (no. 1, p. 37).
41. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 35th Parliament, 1st Session, no. 22, 30 November 1994 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1994), pp. 3-9.
42. Canada, Parliament, Senate, Standing Committee on National Finance, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 13, 19 February 1992 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1992), p. 27.
43. Ibid., no. 7, 4 December 1991, p. 27.
44. Canada, Parliament, Senate, Standing Committee on National Finance, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 2nd Session, no. 46, 22 January 1991 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1991), p. 25.
45. Canada, Parliament, Senate, Standing Committee on National Finance, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 41, 16 December 1992 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1992), pp. 5-17.
46. In an October 1993 letter to the auditor general, Treasury Board secretary Ian Clark described program evaluation as a "critical function ... [that] we must improve." (Office of the Auditor General, Report for the Fiscal Year 1993, pp. 274-5.)
47. House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Proceedings, no. 17, 6 October 1994, p. 11.
48. See Ross Howard, "Have zeal, will travel," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 15 February 1992, p. A1; Young and Wiltshire Consultants, Internal Audit Report on American Express Travel Account, ISP Redesign, Income Security Programs Branch (Ottawa: Young and Wiltshire Consultants, 1991).
49. See Ross Howard, "Have zeal, will travel," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 15 February 1992, p. A1; Young and Wiltshire Consultants, Internal Audit Report on American Express Travel Account, ISP Redesign, Income Security Programs Branch (Ottawa: Young and Wiltshire Consultants, 1991).
50. House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Proceedings, no. 30, 29 March 1990, p. 34.
51. T. Peters and R. Waterman, In Search of Excellence (New York: Warner Books, 1982).
52. This was primarily because of the failure to properly account for borrowing-costs incurred by the government for the amount that was pre-paid to Amex Canada Inc., as well as the cost of a performance bond that should have been obtained to protect the pre-payment.
53. Young and Wiltshire Consultants, Internal Audit Report, p. 22.
54. Ibid., p. 15.
55. Ibid., p. 26.
56. Office of the Auditor General, Report for Fiscal Year 1991, pp. 57-8.
57. Howard, "Have zeal, will travel," Globe, p. A1.
58. Young and Wiltshire Consultants, Internal Audit Report, p. 20-1.
59. House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Proceedings, no. 26, 12 May 1992, p. 24 and no. 27, 14 May 1992, p. 6.
60. Ibid., no. 26, 12 May 1992, p. 9. In his annual report, the auditor general had observed: "Management's intent should be to encourage innovative and cost-effective program delivery within the bounds of existing control frameworks or to seek relief if they can be shown to be an unreasonable constraint" (Report for Fiscal Year 1991, p. 58).
61. Ibid., no. 26, 12 May 1992, p. 9. In his annual report, the auditor general had observed: "Management's intent should be to encourage innovative and cost-effective program delivery within the bounds of existing control frameworks or to seek relief if they can be shown to be an unreasonable constraint" (Report for Fiscal Year 1991, p. 58).
62. House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Proceedings, no. 27, 14 May 1992, p. 12.
63. "Ottawa wants leaner, streamlined civil service," The Toronto Star 19 June 1991, p. A15.
64. Frank Howard, "Jurisdiction fight spawns litigation," The Ottawa Citizen 5 March 1992, p. A4.
65. Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, News Release: Bill C-26, A Victory for Senior Managers 19 May 1992 (Ottawa: Institute, 1992).
66. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Legislative Committee on Bill C-26, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 7, 24 March 1992 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1992), pp. 5-6.
67. Senate, Standing Committee on National Finance, Proceedings no. 41, 16 December 1992, p. 27.
68. Ibid., no. 39, 15 December 1992, pp. 44-7.
69. Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, News Release: Report, Abuse of Trust and Misuse of Power 3 November 1992 (Ottawa: Institute, 1992).
70. See, for example, the statement of Joy Langan, Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Legislative Committee on Bill C-26, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 19, 6 May 1992 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1992), p. 21.
71. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Debates. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, vol. 10, 23 June 1992 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1992), p. 12690.
72. House of Commons, Debates, vol. 5, 10 February 1992, p. 6692.
73. House of Commons, Legislative Committee on Bill C-26, Proceedings, no. 2, 10 March 1992, p. 5.
74. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 11, 9 April 1992 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1992), pp. 10-18.
75. The amendments were made to sections 5, 13, 16, and 81 of the bill. See House of Commons, Legislative Committee on Bill C-26, Proceedings, no. 27, 20 May 1992, pp. 3-13.
76. David Pugliese, "Unfair hiring crackdown coming," The Ottawa Citizen 13 May 1992, p. E1.
77. Unlike members of the Legislative Committee on Bill C-26, senators were not strongly motivated by constituency concerns. Union representatives may also have recognized that the battle was lost when the House gave final reading to the bill. The Senate national finance committee held only three days of hearings on the bill, while the House committee held twenty-six days of hearings.
78. Senate, Standing Committee on National Finance, Proceedings, no. 38, 9 December 1992, pp. 25-8.
79. Marvin Gandall, "Public service perils," The Ottawa Citizen 19 March 1992, p. A11.
80. John Edwards, "PS 2000: Removing obstacles to getting things done," The Ottawa Citizen 27 March 1992, p. A11.
81. Frank Howard, "PS 2000 legislation threatens merit principle," The Ottawa Citizen 26 March 1992, p. A4; "PS 2000 may breed bureaucratic patronage," The Ottawa Citizen, p. A4.
82. Frank Howard, "PS 2000 legislation threatens merit principle," The Ottawa Citizen 26 March 1992, p. A4; "PS 2000 may breed bureaucratic patronage," The Ottawa Citizen, p. A4.
83. William Krause, "A fear of PS 2000," The Ottawa Citizen 4 April 1992, p. B7.
84. A. Gratton, Letter to the editor, The Ottawa Citizen 4 April 1992, p. B7.
85. Hugh Winsor, "Civil service bill merits closer look," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 23 May 1992, p. A6.
86. John Edwards, "Civil service bill," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 2 June 1992, p. A16.
87. William Krause, "Civil service bill," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 10 June 1992, p. A14; Iris Craig, "To stop hiring the in-laws," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 10 June 1992, p. A15.
88. William Krause, "Civil service bill," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 10 June 1992, p. A14; Iris Craig, "To stop hiring the in-laws," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 10 June 1992, p. A15.
89. House of Commons, Debates, vol. 10, 17 June 1992, p. 12317.
90. Hugh Winsor, "The game has changed, and so have the faces," The Globe and Mail (Toronto), 20 June 1992, p. A6.
91. Hugh Winsor, "Going public about keeping private," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 4 July 1992, p. A7.
92. A Nexis search shows that the Post ran ten items that mentioned PS 2000 (or variants of that name) before August 1995. Two were editorials, and four others referred to concerns of the OAG or the Professional Institute of the Public Service.
93. An InfoGlobe search shows that the newspaper ran twenty-one news reports, columns or letters to the editor that mentioned PS 2000 (or variants of that name) between 1989 and 1995. Eight of these referred to Bill C-26. Most of the remaining items included only brief, passing references to the exercise. The two other news reports that included extended references to PS 2000 also cast it in a poor light, suggesting that it had been undermined by clumsy implementation and the government's handling of the Al-Mashat affair: Margot Gibb-Clark, "Workplace not very civil in civil service," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 16 September 1991, p. Bl; Jeffrey Simpson, "Comforting the government," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 1 April 1992, p. A14.
94. An InfoGlobe search shows that the newspaper ran twenty-one news reports, columns or letters to the editor that mentioned PS 2000 (or variants of that name) between 1989 and 1995. Eight of these referred to Bill C-26. Most of the remaining items included only brief, passing references to the exercise. The two other news reports that included extended references to PS 2000 also cast it in a poor light, suggesting that it had been undermined by clumsy implementation and the government's handling of the Al-Mashat affair: Margot Gibb-Clark, "Workplace not very civil in civil service," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 16 September 1991, p. Bl; Jeffrey Simpson, "Comforting the government," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 1 April 1992, p. A14.
95. This is based on a Nexis search for items referring to PS 2000 (or variants of that name). It appears that Nexis did not begin indexing items from Southam publications before the Spring of 1991.
96. Frank Howard, "Too many managers spoil public service broth," The Ottawa Citizen 12 April 1993, p. A4.
97. Don McGillivray, "Mission statements toll no bells," The Ottawa Citizen 5 October 1991, p. D6. A 1993 report re-visited the subject: F. Howard, "Grits make it their mission to cut spending on slogans," The Ottawa Citizen 13 December 1993, p. A4.
98. Don McGillivray, "Mission statements toll no bells," The Ottawa Citizen 5 October 1991, p. D6. A 1993 report re-visited the subject: F. Howard, "Grits make it their mission to cut spending on slogans," The Ottawa Citizen 13 December 1993, p. A4.
99. Greg Weston, "Public servants take picnic duty seriously," The Ottawa Citizen 29 August 1993. p. A2.
100. Frank Howard, "$100,000 showers soak taxpayers," The Ottawa Citizen 17 August 1992, p. A4.
101. Frank Howard, "A failure of cheques and balances," The Ottawa Citizen 14 January 1993, p. A11.
102. Graphic Communications Industry Association, Submission to the Hon. David Dingwall on the issue of the Canada Communication Group (Ottawa: Association, February 1994).
103. Greg Weston, "Government bureaucracy does it again," Calgary Herald 7 September 1993, p. A4.
104. Ron Eade, "Federal agency under conflict investigation," The Ottawa Citizen 23 March 1994, p. A4.
105. Ron Eade, "Auditors protect complainants against agency," The Ottawa Citizen 4 April 1994. p. A4.
106. Ross Howard, "Federal agency investigated for undercutting business," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 24 March 1994, p. A4.
107. Eade, "Auditors protect complainants," Citizen; "Ottawa told to dump problem printing group," Financial Post 14 December 1994, p. 51.
108. Eade, "Auditors protect complainants," Citizen; "Ottawa told to dump problem printing group," Financial Post 14 December 1994, p. 51.
109. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Government Operations, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, 35th Parliament, 1st Session, no. 3, 23 March 1994 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1994), p. 15 and vol. 5, 23 March 1994, p. 13.
110. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Government Operations, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, 35th Parliament, 1st Session, no. 3, 23 March 1994 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1994), p. 15 and vol. 5, 23 March 1994, p. 13.
111. Deloitte & Touche, Examination of Contracting Practices at the Canada Communication Group (Ottawa: Deloitte & Touche, May 1994).
112. Office of the Auditor General, Report for Fiscal Year 1992, p. 57-8.
113. Gord McIntosh, "Federal bureaucrats illegally hid surpluses to use in future budgets," The Gazette (Montreal) 13 September 1994, p. A6 and "Federal departments caught burying spending," The Gazette (Montreal) 11 September 1994, p. A5.
114. Gord McIntosh, "Federal bureaucrats illegally hid surpluses to use in future budgets," The Gazette (Montreal) 13 September 1994, p. A6 and "Federal departments caught burying spending," The Gazette (Montreal) 11 September 1994, p. A5.
115. Greg Weston, "Minister blows 'gasket' over agency," The Ottawa Citizen 11 September 1994, p. A1.
116. C. Serres, "How to hide an 'extra' $61 million," Alberta Report 3 October 1994, p. 11.
117. Sheldon Ehrenworth, "$24-million scam? Or valid attempt to work around stifling financial rules?" The Ottawa Citizen 17 September 1994, p. B7.
118. N. Peterson, "Skirting the law," The Ottawa Citizen 24 September 1994, p. B7.
119. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Debates. 35th Parliament, 1st Session, vol. 133, no. 92, 19 September 1994 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1994), p. 5820.
120. It is noteworthy that Opposition parties did not complain about the problem of public-private competition until industry representatives publicly voiced their concerns in November 1994. The early debates on Bill C-52 in September and October 1994 make no reference to the question.
121. Standing Committee on Government Operations, Sub-Committee on Bill C-52, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 35th Parliament, 1st Session, no. 1, 1 November 1994 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1994), p. 22.
122. Ibid., no. 3, 15 November 1994, p. 57.
123. R. Gibbens, "Bill permits government to grab work, critics say," Financial Post 18 November 1994, p. 5.
124. Gord McIntosh, "Competitive bureaucrats annoy business sector," The Calgary Herald 15 February 1995, p. D3.
125. House of Commons, Standing Committee on Government Operations, Sub-Committee on Bill C-52, Proceedings, no. 3, 15 November 1994, p. 22.
126. The amendment was made to Section 16(b) of the proposed act.
127. During hearings on Bill C-52 a senior Public Works official offered the "categorical" assurance "that we have the policy not to compete with the private sector." (Sub-Committee on Bill C-52, Proceedings, no. 3, 15 November 1994, p. 53.) The assurance was repeated during estimates review in April 1995. (Standing Committee on Government Operations, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, 35th Parliament, 1st Session, no. 39, 4 April 1995 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1995), p. 15.
128. During hearings on Bill C-52 a senior Public Works official offered the "categorical" assurance "that we have the policy not to compete with the private sector." (Sub-Committee on Bill C-52, Proceedings, no. 3, 15 November 1994, p. 53.) The assurance was repeated during estimates review in April 1995. (Standing Committee on Government Operations, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, 35th Parliament, 1st Session, no. 39, 4 April 1995 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1995), p. 15.
129. For example, the OAG has been criticized in the media and by Opposition MPS for producing reports that are not sufficiently tough in their analyses of the public service. For an illustration, see Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, 34th Parliament, 2nd Session, no. 39, 1 November 1990 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, 1990), p. 14.
130. Bruce Lincoln, Authority: Construction and Corrosion (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994).
131. For example, the 1990 task force responsible for overhauling the government's policy on common service organizations observed that "the claims of increased risks of embarrassment are overstated and reflect the traditional tendency ... not to trust public servants or believe that they will act responsibly." (Canada, Public Service 2000, Report of the Task Force on Administrative Policy and the Role of Common Service Agencies (Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada, 1990), p. 38.
132. United Kingdom, House of Commons, Committee of Public Accounts, Eighth Report: The Proper Conduct of Public Business. HC 154 (London: HMSO, 1994).
133. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, The Civil Service: Taking Forward Continuity and Change, Cm. 2748 (London: HMSO, 1995).
134. Al Gore, Reinvention's Next Steps: Governing in a Balanced Budget World (Washington, D.C.: National Performance Review, 1996). These new arrangements have not entirely checked worries about the erosion of control over these new "performance-based organizations." Legislators and public service unions expressed serious concern about the extent to which early PBO candidates were to be deregulated. See Alasdair Roberts, "Command Performance," Government Executive 28, no. 8 (August 1996), pp. 21-6.
135. Al Gore, Reinvention's Next Steps: Governing in a Balanced Budget World (Washington, D.C.: National Performance Review, 1996). These new arrangements have not entirely checked worries about the erosion of control over these new "performance-based organizations." Legislators and public service unions expressed serious concern about the extent to which early PBO candidates were to be deregulated. See Alasdair Roberts, "Command Performance," Government Executive 28, no. 8 (August 1996), pp. 21-6.
136. The government's handling of Bill C-52 provides an example of this. Government members of the committee that reviewed the bill refused to hear any witnesses other than departmental representatives and reported the bill after three short hearings. The government made no attempt to explain the evolution of its common services policy to committee members.