Organizing for mega-consultation: HRDC and the Social Security Reform

Canadian Public Administration

Volumn 48, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 348-385

  Lindquist, Evert A ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 29844436808     PISSN: 00084840     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1754-7121.2005.tb00230.x     Document Type: Review

References (84)

1. John Kane and Patrick Bishop, "Consultation and contest: The danger of mixing modes," Australian Journal of Public Administration 61, no. 1 (March 2002), p. 94.
2. Lawrence C. Walters, James Aydelotte and Jessica Miller, "Putting more public in policy analysis," Public Administration Review 60, no. 4 (July/August 2000), p. 357.
3. I was invited to prepare this paper by HRDC officials to provide a general account of the SSR process and some critical reflection for the Canadian Centre for Management Development. I relied on confidential interviews with HRDC officials familiar with the policy, communications, and consultations functions during the SSR and with staff in the minister's office, the Privy Council Office, the Ministerial Task Force, and SCHRD, as well as with individuals contracted to provide services. I received superb comments from Ralph Heintzman and two anonymous reviewers and, more recently, from Herman Bakvis, Ian Clark, Steve Dupre, David Good, John Langford, Barbara Wake Carroll, and anonymous reviewers of CPA. They led to a shorter, more effective paper, but the assessments and responsibility for any errors are my own.
4. For reviews of the policy quandaries and options embraced by the SSR, see Herman Bakvis, "'Shrinking the house of HRIF': Program review and the Department of Human Resources Development" in Gene Swimmer, ed., How Ottawa Spends 1996-7: Living Under the Knife (Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1996), pp. 133-70;
5. Keith G. Banting, "Keeping our balance: The political imperatives of social policy reform," Policy Options 15, no. 6 (July-August 1994), pp. 64-69;
6. and Caledon Institute for Social Policy, Critical Commentaries on the Social Security Review (Ottawa: Caledon Institute for Social Policy, 1995).
7. For a gripping account of this struggle, see Edward Greenspon and Anthony Wilson-Smith, Double Vision: The Inside Story of the Liberals in Power (Toronto: Doubleday, 1996).
8. On HRDC'S restructuring, see Herman Bakvis, "On 'silos and stovepipes': The case of the Department of Human Resources Development" in Peter Aucoin, ed., Restructuring the Canadian Government: The Management of Organizational Change (Canadian Centre for Management Development, manuscript);
9. and David A. Good, The Politics of Public Management: The HRDC Audit of Grants and Contributions (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003).
10. Human Resources Development Canada, Social Security in Canada: Background Facts (Ottawa: Human Resources Development Canada, 1994).
11. See the case studies in Donald J. Savoie, ed., Taking Power: Managing Government Transitions (Toronto: Institute of Public Administration of Canada, 1993).
12. For a summary of the literature, see Evert A. Lindquist, "Citizens, experts and budgets: Evaluating Ottawa's emerging budget process" in Susan D. Phillips, ed., How Ottawa Spends 1994-95: Making Change (Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1994), pp. 104-8.
13. See also Debora L. VanNignatten and Sheila Wray Gregoire, "Bureaucracy and consultation: The correctional service and the requirements of being democratic," CANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 38, no. 2 (Summer 1995), pp. 204-21;
14. Peter Sterne with Sandra Zagon, Public Consultation Guide: Changing the Relationship between Government and Canadians, Management Practices No. 19 (Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Management Development, 1997);
15. and OECD, "Engaging Citizens Online for Better Policy-making," Policy Brief (March 2003).
16. For details and examples, see Evert A. Lindquist, James A. Desveaux and Glen Toner, "Organizing for policy innovation in public bureaucracy: AIDS, energy, and environmental policy in Canada," Canadian Journal of Political Science 27, no. 3 (September 1994), pp. 493-528.
17. Several authors consider how consultation strategies might vary at different stages of the policy cycle. See Walters, Aydelotte and Miller, "Putting more public in policy analysis," pp. 349-59;
18. Susan Phillips and Michael Orsini, Mapping the Links: Citizen Involvement in Policy Processes, CPRN Discussion Paper No. F21 (Ottawa: Canadian Policy Research Networks, 2002);
19. and Richard Curtain, "What role for citizens in developing and implementing public policy?" in Facing the Future: Engaging Stakeholders and Citizens in Developing Public Policy, the collected papers from the National Institute on Governance and Australian Public Policy Research Network Conference, Canberra, 22-23 April 2003 (Canberra: National Institute on Governance, University of Canberra, 2003), pp. 127-46.
20. See Phillips and Orsini, Mapping the Links, For another state-centred "management" perspective,
21. see Patrick Bishop and Glyn Davis, "Mapping public participation in policy choices," Australian Journal of Public Administration 61, no. 1 (March 2002), pp. 14-29.
22. When the responsibility for postsecondary education and student loans was transferred to HRDC in June 1993, it came with little policy expertise, since the Secretary of State essentially performed a cheque-writing function.
23. Patrick Johnston, a social policy activist, had once led the National Anti-Poverty Organization.
24. Created in the 1980s in the former Department of Employment and Immigration, it was rare to have such capacity inside departments; usually ministerial offices would contract out for analysis at the political level.
25. Its communications operations group drafted communications strategy in January 1994, which cabinet reviewed in early February and which outlined ways to tap into elite and general public opinion, and how to directly engage citizens including interest groups, MPS, the public, department officials and, later, students. Officials were targeted because Canada Employment Centre managers worked with local groups in the regions and the SSR might lead to new service-delivery models.
26. If the action plan had a release date in late April, followed immediately by comprehensive consultations, their planning had to start by early March.
27. Its members included Kathy O'Hara (chair), Cathy Drummond, Karen Jackson, Partick Johnston, Anne-Marie Smart, Jim Lahey and Ian Green (the assistant deputy minister for social development).
28. Peter Harrison, The Constitutional Conferences Secretariat: A Unique Response to a Public Management Challenge (Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Management Development, 1992).
29. The deputy minister wanted policy and communications staff to work together, despite different worldviews. Moreover, the latter were typically more junior than the former.
30. Human Resources Development Canada, Proposed Changes to the Unemployment Insurance Program: Backgrounder (Ottawa: Human Resources Development Canada, 1994).
31. Meetings were typically held on Mondays or Tuesdays. Packages had to be ready to be sent to the MTF by Thursday or Friday so they could be prepared for the meeting early the next week. These deadlines were met, but it was difficult to do so if more substantial cost data or analysis was requested.
32. Canada, Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Human Resources Development, Interim Report: Concerns and Priorities Regarding the Modernization and Restructuring of Canada's Social Security System (Ottawa: Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1994).
33. Appendix D in Interim Report, ibid., p. 73.
34. In addition to the consultation and communications committee and the intervenor funding committee, there were four other committees where SSR progress could be discussed: the strategic planning committee (chaired by Kathy O'Hara and attended by Lazar, Drummond, Jackson and the Earnscliffe Group), a weekly SSR steering committee (chaired by the deputy minister), and a committee on federal-provincial matters. The management board, HRDC'S executive committee, which included the deputy minister, ADMS, and the regional executive directors, was not a primary forum for handling SSR isssues.
35. For a list of the recipients and the amounts awarded, see "Intervenor Funding: Project Sponsors and Approved Budgets" in the dissenting opinion of the Reform Party in Canada,
36. Parliament, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Human Resources Development, Security, Opportunities and Fairness: Canadians Renewing their Social Programs, Report (Ottawa: Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1995), pp. 310-14. Another $1 million went to aboriginal groups through a different process and timeline.
37. The ad hoc committee was a subcommittee of the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy.
38. Bechterman began working with the standing committee in June 1994, and left in early September. He was replaced by Professor Michael Prince of the University of Victoria.
39. See "M.P.'s Consultation: A Proposal by Andy Scott, M.P. - Public Consultation: Putting Grass-Roots Policy Development in Practice" (no date, c. September 1994)
40. and Office of Andy Scott, M.P., Public Policy Forums and Canada's Review of Social Programs (July 1994).
41. Greenspon and Wilson-Smith, Double Vision, chapters 15 and 19.
42. The deputy minister visited but was informed via the steering committee.
43. Government of Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, Improving Social Security in Canada: A Discussion Paper (Ottawa: Human Resources Development Canada and Minister of Supply Services, October 1994).
44. Derek Ferguson, "Social reform price tag: $7 billion," Toronto Star (5 October 1994).
45. The Canada Communications Group was able to shift operators from other projects if necessary.
46. Not long after, the release of the employment insurance legislation in December 1995 led to an impressive 160,000 "hits" on the web site, which was easier for HRDC to establish and manage.
47. Early polling and focus groups conducted by Angus Reid in February 1994 indicated that Canadians wanted to be consulted and seventy-five per cent would contribute to workbooks (as opposed to sixty-two per cent for an interactive television show, fifty-six per cent for an information booth or forty-five per cent for a meeting organized by an MP. The SSR group in strategic communications examined how other jurisdictions used workbooks used to engage citizens.
48. Bélisle Marketing Ltée, Social Security Reform: Workbook Pre-Test, Final Report prepared for Human Resources Development Canada (November 1994).
49. D.R. Harley Consultants Limited, Canadians Respond to Ideas for Reforming Canada's Social Programs - Final Report: "Have Your Say" Workbook (March 15, 1996). The influx of workbooks led the firm to hire extra students. One million workbooks were released at a cost of approximately $1 million and about 46,000 copies returned, a 4.4 per cent return rate; the advertising campaign cost $1 million.
50. In interpreting the results, care was taken to emphasize that it was not a scientific survey, but another way to discover what Canadians felt about social security reform. For example, males were over-represented and Québecois were under-represented in the sample. Another problem was that many respondents inked in comments in all parts of the book, so they were difficult to analyse.
51. The supplementary papers included: Persons With Disabilities (October 1994);
52. From Unemployment Insurance to Employment Insurance (October 1994);
53. Income Security for Children (October 1994);
54. Child Care and Development (October 1994);
55. Reforming the Canada Assistance Plan (December 1994);
56. Employment Development Services (December 1994);
57. The Context of Reform (December 1994);
58. and Federal Support to Post-Secondary Education ·(January 1995).
59. Protesters were given an opportunity to meet separately with some committee members and then were given a fixed amount of time to present to the full committee.
60. One alternative for assistance was to second department expertise to SCHRD, as had been done in the past with other committees, but SCHRD felt this would compromise its independence.
61. See Canada, Parliament House of Commons, Standing Committee on Human Resources Development, Security, Opportunities and Fairness: Canadians Renewing their Social Programs, Report (Ottawa: Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1995), pp. 234-5 and pp. 245-7, respectively.
62. "Report to the standing committee on human resources development on town hall meetings on social security reform held by members of Parliament," January 1995.
63. Human Resources Development Canada, "Consultation Seminars on Social Security Reform: Third-Party Reports" (January 1995), mimeo.
64. Lindquist, "Citizens, experts and budgets."
65. The structure of the HRDC policy colloquia were informed by the models presented by the 1992 constitutional public conferences and 1994 budget public conferences. Like the constitutional conferences they focused on particular topics and strove for balanced representation, but did not maximize the participation of ordinary citizens. Like the budget conferences they lasted a day.
66. Government of Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, Report on Public Consultations: Canadians Speak out for Changes to Social Programs (Ottawa: Human Resources Development Canada, 1995).
67. See Report on Public Consultations, ibid., which provided some polling data, and overview of the findings, and executive summaries of the policy seminars and policy colloquia.
68. For details on this episode, see Rodney S. Haddow, Poverty Reform in Canada 1958-1978: State and Class Influences on Policy Making (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1993), pp. 84-142.
69. Kane and Bishop, "Consultation and contest: The danger of mixing modes," pp. 87-94.
70. See the cases in Desveaux, Lindquist and Toner, "Organizing for Policy Innovation."
71. However, the room was too confining for the number of staff that typically met (and lived) there. To launch the Employment Insurance legislative package in December 1995, officials arranged for two rooms in order to allow for more space and for meetings to proceed without background noise.
72. See Desveaux, Lindquist and Toner, "Organizing for Policy Innovation."
73. See also James A. Desveaux, Designing Bureaucracies: Institutional Capacity and Large-Scale Problem Solving (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1995).
74. Walters, Aydelotte and Miller, "Putting more public in policy analysis," p. 359.
75. Renee A. Irvin and John Stansbury, "Citizen participation in decision making: Is it worth the effort?," Public Administration Review 64, no. 1 (January/February 2004), pp. 55-65.
76. This tension is not seen as insurmountable, particularly given that instruments for consultation and citizen engagement can be simultaneously or sequentially employed by governments. See Phillips and Orsini, "Mapping citizen involvement,"
77. and Jocelyne Bourgon, "A voice for all: Engaging Canadians for change," Notes for an address to the Institute on Governance Conference, Alymer, Quebec (29 October 1998).
78. Interest groups can also feel disenfranchised by citizen engagement processes. See Carolyn Hendriks, "Institutions of deliberative democratic processes and interest groups: roles, tensions and incentives," Australian Journal of Public Administration 61, no. 1 (March 2002), pp. 64-75.
79. Examples include the National Forum on Health, the Rural Dialogue, and the Innovation Strategy. See Steve Patten, "Democratizing the institutions of policy-making: democratic consultation and participatory administration," Journal of Canadian Studies 35, no. 4 (Winter 2001), pp. 221-39.
80. For a list of different consultations undertaken, see Annex B on "Consultations" and Annex C on "The External Research Program" in Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, Building on Values: The Future of Health Care in Canada - Final Report (November 2000), pp. 271-308.
81. Lindquist, "Citizens, experts and budgets."
82. Phillips and Orsini, in Mapping the Links, compare the features of instruments and persuasively argue that selecting instruments is highly situational and best used in parallel with others. While they do not address value-for-money and impact questions, their framework could easily be extended for this purpose.
83. OECD, Citizens as Partners: Information, Consultation and Public Participation in Policy-Making (Paris: OECD, 2001), p. 13.
84. But see Judith Maxwell, Steven Rosell and Pierre-Gerlier Forest, "Giving citizens a voice in healthcare policy in Canada," British Medical Journal 326 (10 May 2003), pp. 1031-33, a high-level review of the benefits, impact and costs of the citizen dialogue strand of the Romanow Commission consultations. Aside from comparing the findings with a later survey done for the commission, the authors did not compare the dialogues with the other instruments.