Les pratiques de fonctionnaires canadiens et québécois au chapitre des innovations du travail

This research focuses on the evolution and transformation of work organization and labour relations in the public service in Quebec and Canada. It seeks to determine the nature of innovations in the workplace and the level of employee participation in the innovation process. A survey of 2308 employees in six departments and agencies of the public service in Quebec and Canada reveals that the autonomy of employees, participation and shared responsibility for the development of innovations reflect an important transformation of the workplace. The effect of these innovations depends on the departments in which they occurred. However, the survey results do not permit an analysis of the scope of transformation of the organizational structure. Finally, this article shows that employees and managers are key players in the innovation process.     

La nouvelle gestion publique et l'accroissement des marges de manœuvre : un terreau propice au développement de l'éthique?

Abstract: The administrative discretion of civil servants is a central topic in public administration literature. Some authors view it as necessary and beneficial, while other researchers see it is a source of widespread abuse. However, reforms inspired by the “new public management” taking place in a number of public administrations are promoting greater managerial flexibility. In parallel with these modernization initiatives directed at administration, scandals continue to shake politico‐administrative life, and ethical issues are increasingly at the heart of public action. It is within this context that we question the relationship between an increasing managerial discretion and the development of an ethics infrastructure. Which areas are at risk? Can ethics help overcome the potential abuses of power? How do managers perceive their ability to be flexible and the role of ethics in their work? How do you implement the ethical requirements developed in various standards documents? These are the principal themes addressed in this article that presents the findings of a qualitative case study conducted in a Quebec ministry in 2008–2009. Our results show that, contrary to what promoters of the new public management claim, managers have little, if any, discretionary power in matters of financial management. Their actions and decisions are strictly governed by hierarchical control mechanisms or a computer system. This explains in part why taking ownership of general principles and establishing an ethics infrastructure remain a formal process.     

L'appréciation de la performance du système de santé et des services sociaux du Québec : L'approche du Commissaire à la santé et au bien‐être

Quebec established a Health and Welfare Commissioner to shed a relevant light on the public debate and government decision‐making process to help improve citizens' health and welfare. Over the years, the Commissioner has developed an expertise in the performance measurement field based on the cross‐section of various knowledge and information sources, and that integrates ethics and citizen engagement. In this article, we present the Commissioner's approach, its results, and related issues and challenges.     

Rethinking policy capacity in Canada: The role of parties and election platforms in government policy‐making

Abstract: There is an ongoing debate in western industrialized democracies about the genesis of government policy capacity. This article examines this under‐explored issue by looking at the election campaign commitments made by political parties. The author reviews the election policy manifestos of the parties that governed in Canada from 1984 to 2008, some of the proposed policy changes advanced during election campaigns, and the actions taken by governing parties to fulfil those commitments. This research demonstrates that parties were relatively unconstrained in advancing detailed election platforms to the electorate and that they were able to fulfil, or partially fulfil, those commitments at fairly significant levels – particularly incumbent governments, who could draw on their governing experience and the policy advice given by the public service. The author contends that governing parties in Canada possess a high degree of policy‐making capacity and that they have the ability both to advance and implement fairly detailed plans for governing. These findings confirm that political parties are an important source of policy‐making capacity and that such capacity is enhanced by public‐service input.     

Frontiers of public service motivation research in Canada: A scoping review

The Canadian public sector employs around one-fifth of Canadian workers; they are responsible for policy making, stewarding public funds, and serving the public. Canadian governments struggle with job satisfaction, engagement, retention, and turnover, all of which may be associated with public service motivation (PSM). We conducted a scoping review of Canadian PSM research to synthesize what is known about these associations in the Canadian context. We identified 24 published studies and four works in progress. These demonstrate that PSM exists among Canadian public servants from the early stages of their career until later stages, and that PSM bolsters attraction to public sector work among students. No studies measured PSM among Canadian public servants using a validated instrument. Further research about the contributions of PSM to the quality of Canadian public services and how employers can nurture PSM is recommended, particularly given recent changes in work environments.     

L'imaginaire éthique des répondants du réseau gouvernemental québécois en matière d‘éthique

Sommaire: Existe‐t‐il des dispositifs en éthique gouvernementale qui ne relèvent pas de la logique propre à la déontologie, comme c'est la tendance chez les pays membres de I'ocde? Dans le cadre d'une recherche financée par le secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du gouvernement du Québec, il nous a été possible d'explorer un dispositif appelé« Réseau des répondants en éthique ». À I'analyse des réponses obtenues lors d'une enquête de type terrain, nous avons constaté qu'il y avait concordance entre la définition que les répondants donnaient de l'éthique (conception très majoritairement auto‐régulationniste) et la perception qu'ils avaient du rôle qu'ils devaient jouer. Nous avons aussi fait la démonstration qu'il y a une rupture dans l'imaginaire éthique des répondants par rapport à la tendance hétéro‐régulationniste. Une des causes de ce changement de mentalité proviendrait du fait que les consultants en éthique du Québec ont adopté un modèle de réflexion éthique faisant bien la distinction entre l'éthique et la déontologie. Abstract: Countries of the oecd have established “codes of conduct” for public servants. Do these codes have a determining effect on how ethics are applied? Our research project, funded by the Secretariat du Conseil du Tresor of the Government of Quebec, allowed us to explore what is called the Réseau des répondants en éthique, a network of ethics consultants. When we analysed field survey responses, we found a parallel between the ways the network respondents defined ethics (a primarily self‐regulated conception) and how they perceived the roles they were expected to play. We also found that there is a disjunction between the respondents' perception of ethics and the trend of regulation‐by‐others. One of the causes of this change in mentality would appear to be that Quebec's ethics consultants have adopted an ethical reflection model that distinguishes between ethics and codes of conduct.     

From colonization to reconciliation: Increasing the collaborative capacity of public servants

In call to action 57, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls upon federal, provincial and territorial governments to enhance the skills and knowledge of public servants. Leveraging collaboration theory and collaborative capacity, this article delves deeper into the skills, attitudes and knowledge required of public servants who regularly work with First Nations organizations and governments. Using findings from a health care collaboration between First Nations, federal and provincial governments in Alberta with 25 mid- to senior-level leaders, this participatory action research highlights the importance of member capacity to strong collaboration as Canada embarks on the journey from colonization to reconciliation.     

Accountability regimes in federal‐provincial Labour Market Agreements 1995‐2015

Workforce development policy in Canada has undergone extensive reforms in the past two decades, often driven by intergovernmental pressures. Many of these reforms, including the transfer of thousands of federal civil servants to the provinces, along with $2.5 billion annually, have occurred largely unnoticed by the public, or even recipients of services. Accountability measures have remained weak as the federal and provincial governments have few incentives to increase public scrutiny. In particular, transparency (making information available for public scrutiny) and justification (the provision of reasons for decisions) are inadequate. A more inclusive public accountability framework in the policy area needs to be developed that can support innovation in programs.     

La réforme administrative au gouvernement du Québec: étude du processus de changement sur la culture organisationneIIe

Sommaire: Plusieurs gouvernements ont mis en place des processus de réformes qui se traduisent par un processus de changement visant la modernisation de l'État. Ces processus cornportent une dimension axiologique influencée par la Nouvelle gestion publique. Considérant la réforme comme un phénomène psychosocial et culturel, cet article expose la perception d'acteurs clés vis‐à‐vis des processus de changement qu'implique la modernisation de la fonction publique quebecoise (Loi sur l'administration publique). Cette recherche, basée sur vingt entrevues réalisées auprès de direc‐teurs des ressources humaines de ministères et organismes, démontre que les perceptions de la réforme sont diverses et que l'influence de la politique dans les réformes se situe davantage dans les objectifs que dans le design. En plus de faire ressortir les principales initiatives et quelques obstacles au changement, la recherche illustre que la perception qu'ont les drh sur la nature réelle des changements est variable, et permet de les regrouper sous trois catégories. Enfin, cette recherche présente différents types de cultures témoignant de l'importance d'ajuster les modes d'implémentation pour le succès des réformes. Elle illustre l'importance de soigner la mise en cruvre des réformes plutôt que d'essayer de définir un modèle idéal. Un regard sur l'avenir vient enfin compléter cette étude. Abstract: Many governments have implemented reform processes that lead to modernizing the state. These experiences involve a value dimension influenced by new public management. Stating administrative reform as a cultural and psychosocial phenomenon, this article exposes the perception that key actors have of the change processes entailed by the Quebec public administration's modernization (Loi sur l'administration publique). This research, based on twenty interviews of human resources directors from ministries and public organizations, shows that the perceptions of the reform are diverse and that the political influence of the reforms appears more in the objectives than in the design. In addition to showing the principal facilitating initiatives and a few obstacles to change, the research illustrates that the human resources directors' perception of the changes' actual nature is variable and permits grouping them into three categories. Finally, this research presents different types of cultures, showing the importance of adjusting implementation modes for the reforms' success. It illustrates the importance of taking care of the implementation rather than trying to define an ideal model. A look at the future completes the study.     

Trust but verify: Ministerial policy advisors and public servants in the Government of Canada

Political advisors in Canada are comparatively numerous and highly differentiated in role. Based on a recent survey, this article examines how senior ministerial policy advisors, a subset of the political staff community, perceive their support for ministers and their relationships with public servants. It finds that they increase ministers' policy capacity, encourage greater responsiveness from public servants, and generally feel that they enjoy good relations with officials and respect their role. Since much depends on advisors' personal maturity, however, the paper endorses the Trudeau government's release of a code of conduct for ministerial‐exempt staff as a means of embedding accountability more deeply within political staff culture.     

Les gestionnaires de l'ombre: les directeurs1 de cabinets ministériels québécois

Sommaire: La proximité du ministre pour les directeurs de cabinet ministériel, leur accès à des informations stratégiques et sensibles et leur possibilité d'influencer le ministre ainsi que les hauts fonctionnaires sur des décisions de nature politique ou administrative, sont parmi les facteurs qui expliquent l'importance des rôles qu'ils peuvent jouer dans la gestion des ministères et organismes gouvernementaux. Pourtant, on trouve relativement peu d'écrits sur le sujet et les études sur le personnel politique datent de plusieurs années. À partir d'une enquête et d'entrevues réalisées avec des directeurs de cabinet du gouvernement du Québec ainsi qu'avec des sousministres, cette étude trace un portrait des principales caractéristiques des directeurs de cabinet ministériel. Elle examine la façon dont ils assument leurs fonctions et la nature des relations qu'ils entretiennent avec le ministre, le personnel du cabinet qu'ils dirigent et l'administration. Abstract: Proximity to the minister, access to strategic and sensitive information, and the ability to influence the minister and senior public servants in decision‐making are among the factors that explain the importance of the role of chief of staff to the minister in the management of ministries and government organizations. The literature on the subject, however, is relatively limited, and available studies on political staff are several years old. Based on a survey and interviews with chiefs of staff and deputy ministers in the Quebec government, this study describes the main characteristics of chiefs of staff. It examines the way they carry out their functions and the nature of the relationships they have with the minister and the staff that they manage.     

Nouvelles stratégies d'action dans le secteur public québécois: quatre exemples d'innovations financieres

Sommaire: Depuis 20 ans, le discours néo‐libéral a été abondamment utilisé pour caractériser le Nouveau Management Public et la philosophie des réformes entreprises par de nombreux gouvernements occidentaux. Cet article examine la réforme administrative mix en place au gouvernement du Québec et analyse I'influence des préceptes du Nouveau Management Public sur les pratiques de gestion financière dans certains organismes du secteur public québécois. Les résultats suggèrent que le gouvernement a résolument adopté une approche managérielle qui favorise la mesure du rendement et le recours aux capacités d'innovation des gestionnaires publics pour supporter la modernisation de I'administration. L'analyse suggère également que I'idéal de concurrence, cher à la philosophie néo‐libérale, est présent à I'esprit des gestionnaires publics lorsqu'ils abordent la question de la place concurrentielle des entreprises québécoises sur les marchés internationaux. Toutefois, les pratiques de gestion financière recemment mises en place dans les organismes étudiés montrent que les stratégies de gestion adoptées misent plus sur I'autonomie des gestionnaires, sur la concertation et sur la responsabilisation que sur la concurrence, pour assurer I'efficacité des services publics. Abstract: Over the past twenty years, the neo‐liberal discourse has served extensively to characterize the new public management paradigm and the philosophy behind the reforms undertaken by many western governments. This article reviews administrative reforms within the Quebec government and focuses on the impact that new public management precepts are having on financial management practices in some Quebec public‐sector organizations. The findings suggest that the government has definitely adopted a managerial approach that favours performance measurement and the use of public managers' innovative abilities to support the modernization of the administration. The analysis also suggests that the ideal of competition, important to the neo‐liberal philosophy, is present in the minds of public managers when they deal with the competitive position of Quebec enterprises in international markets. However, financial management practices recently implemented in the organizations examined show that the management strategies adopted rely more on managers' autonomy, collaboration and accountability than on competition to ensure efficient public services.     

Les fonctionnaires face au développement de la performance de l'action publique en France

Important changes are currently taking place within the French civil service, and civil servants now have to adapt to the performance requirements. To encourage profile diversity, the competitive entrance examinations for applicants to the French civil service have been redesigned. Furthermore, the development of new procedures for assessing civil servants has led to question the old methods used until recently. Thus, new measures for rating civil servants have now been implemented, with a focus on organizing advancement and promotion. This reform has also had an impact on the career management of civil servants, with the development of a performance‐based compensation system. Finally, civil servant mobility within the civil service, considered to be one of the levers of the government reform process, is now also being encouraged. Efforts must be focused on increasing the effectiveness of human resources management in public administrations in order to deliver high‐quality public service at the lowest possible cost.     

Public Service in Canada post-COVID-19 pandemic: Transitioning to hybrid work and its implementation challenges

The impact of the COVID-19 on the nature of work cannot be overstated. In Canada, following the largest and quickest transition to remote work ever, a significant number of public servants found themselves working from home for most of 2020 and 2021. As governments come out of the pandemic, they begin transitioning to hybrid work arrangements. This article analyzes attitudes and perspectives of public servants in the Public Service of Canada on return to office and transitioning to hybrid work. It also discusses how these can inform research and practice in Canadian public administration.     

Building metropolitan governance capacity: The case of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal

Abstract: This article is about building metropolitan governance capacity. Based on the case study of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (the Montreal Metropolitan Community), the authors seek to understand how this new metropolitan institution develops its capacity to manage metropolitan issues. What factors influence metropolitan governance capacity? What are the impacts of actor behaviour, incentive structures, and political leadership on that capacity? Specifically, results focus on two of the CMM's areas of responsibility: land‐use planning, and social and affordable housing. Based on the analysis of official documents of the CMM (its act of incorporation, activity reports, budget, etc.) and thirteen interviews with elected municipal officials and public servants, the authors show that the building of metropolitan governance capacity is influenced by the interactions between those three factors, as well as by other elements specific to each context.     

Senior civil servants in Quebec and strategic information transmission: A game theory-driven approach

Recently, certain mediatized events in Quebec have demonstrated that senior civil servants could control the information intended for elected officials. Is it possible that senior civil servants behave strategically in sharing information with politicians? Based on a game theory-driven approach, the study offers in-depth testimonies to illustrate the strategic dimensions of information transmission, which sometimes occurs between ADMs and elected officials. Quebec senior civil servants occasionally benefit from discretionary authority with respect to information and use it to promote specific lines of thought. Furthermore, elected officials and senior civil servants sharing similar views on specific public issues could facilitate information transmission.     

Region‐building: Western Canadian joint cabinet meetings in the 2000s

Abstract: Joint cabinet meetings are increasingly used for inter‐governmental dialogue, at both international and sub‐state levels. Provincial governments in western Canada, in particular, have employed the joint cabinet meeting format, and, between 2003 and 2009, nine such joint cabinet meetings were held. The resulting inter‐provincial collaboration at these meetings produced over thirty inter‐provincial agreements. Using the details of these particular joint cabinet meetings as a case study, this article considers three questions: First, why do governments hold joint cabinet meetings? Second, are joint cabinet meetings effective mechanisms for inter‐governmental policy‐making? And, third, particular to the Canadian context, what are the implications of joint cabinet meetings for federalism and democracy? The author argues that joint cabinet meetings are designed to build relationships and trust between governments and to allow a “whole‐of‐government” approach for inter‐governmental policy‐making. The joint cabinet meeting model appears to facilitate expedient inter‐governmental policy‐making, but the effectiveness of the resulting policies depends on the political will of the participating governments. Furthermore, in the Canadian context, joint cabinet meetings have the potential of reinforcing regionalism and the undemocratic tendencies associated with executive federalism.     

Vers une redéfinition de la politique d'achat du Québec

Sommaire: Les marchés publics constituent pour le Gouvernement du Québec un précieux instrument de développement socio-éonomique et un puissant levier dans la réalisation de certains objectifs bien particuliers. Aussi, afin de stimuler et de favoriser le développement de l'économie québécoise, la politique d'achat du Gouvernement du Québec révèle plusieurs mesures préférentielles. Elle tente explicitement de maximiser l'utilisation de produits québécois, de canaliser une part substantielle des achats publics vers les entreprises québécoises. Cette politique d'achat préférentielle a été récemment raffermie et ce, malgré le mouvement international de plus en plus vigoureux visant l'élimination des obstacles à la libre circulation des biens et services. Toutefois, au niveau interprovincial, ce même Gouvernement, dans une volonté d'emboîter le pas et de s'aligner sur l'actuelle tendance à la libéralisation des échanges commerciaux, a spontanément souscrit à l'Accord intergouvernemental sur les marchés du secteur public qui prône l'abolition des barrières au commerce interprovincial. Le Gouvernement du Québec doit désormais tenter de concilier l'existence des principes et objectifs de ces deux textes conflictuels. La présente étude offre une vision globale, suggère un survol de la politique d'achat du Gouvernement du Québec et de son champ d'application, dam le contexte de la libéralisation des échanges commerciaux interprovinciaux. Elle souligne que l'Accord ne sonne pas le glas de la politique d'achat du Québec mais en implique une sérieuse et profonde remise en cause. En effet, la politique d'achat devra nécessairement débouher sur une façon originale d'utiliser les marchés publics tout en s'insérant dans le cadre de l'Accord. Abstract: For the Government of Quebec, public contracts are an invaluable tool for socio-economic development and a powerful lever for the achievement of some quite specific objectives. In order to stimulate and promote the development of the Quebec economy, the purchasing policy of the provincial government involves several preferential measures. It explicitly attempts to maximize the use of Quebec products, and to channel a substantial portion of public purchases to Quebec firms. This preferential purchasing policy has been strengthened recently, in spite of the growing international movement towards eliminating impediments to the free trade of goods and services. However, at the interprovincial level, in order to fall in step and align itself with the present trend towards freer trade, the Government of Quebec spontaneously subscribed to the Intergovernmental Accord on Public Sector Contracts, promoting the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers. The Government of Quebec must now aim to reconcile the principles and objectives of these two conflicting approaches. This study provides an overview and suggests a survey of the provincial government's purchasing policy and its field of application, within the context of the liberalization of interprovincial trade. It stresses that the accord does not negate Quebec's purchasing policy, although it does involve a thorough review of it. Indeed, the purchasing policy must necessarily lead to an original way of using public contracts while still staying within the bounds of the accord.     

Partnering for e‐government: Challenges for public administrators

Abstract: Governments around the world are spending huge sums of money implementing electronic government. Public‐private partnerships with information and communication technology firms have emerged as the vehicle of choice for implementing e‐government strategies. Concerns are raised about the capacity of governments to manage these complex, multi‐year, often multi‐partner relationships that involve considerable sharing of authority, responsibility, financial resources, information and risks. The management challenges manifest themselves in the core partnering tasks: establishing a management framework for partnering; finding the right partners and making the right partnering arrangement; the management of relationships with partners in a network setting; and the measurement of the performance of e‐government partnerships. The article reviews progress being made by governments in building capacity to deal with these core partnering tasks. It concludes that many new initiatives at the central agency and departmental/ministry level seem designed to centralize control of e‐government projects and wrap them in a complex web of bureaucratic structures and processes that are, for the most part, antithetical or, at best, indifferent to the creation of strong partnerships and the business valuethat e‐government public‐private partnerships promise.     

Incidences du rôle accru de ľEtat sur la démocratic locale

Sommaire. Dans la première partie de son exposé, ?auteur décrit ?évolution depuis quelques décennies du partage des rôles entre les collectivitiés locales et les instances gouvernementales à partir de ?évolution du droit public québécois où I'on passe de pouvoirs locaux très vastes à une croissance marquée des interventions législatives provinciales. Dans la seconde partie, ?auteur rappelle que la croissance du Welfare State n'a pas solutioné complètement les maux urbains puisque ?autres problèmes sont venus s'attaquer à la qualityé de la vie. Pourquoi alors la centralisation continue-t-elle son oeuvre? S'inspirant de quelques conclusions auxquelles en sont venus les théoriciens de ?école du ← public choice →, ?auteur décrit les causes profondes du processus de centralisation et propose quelques mesures propres à en diminuer le rythme: limites au pouvoir fiscal des gouvernements, tarification des services publics, le concept de majorité qui est à redéfinir, usage du référendum, réforme fiscale locale. Abstract. The first part of this paper describes the recent development of the shared responsibilities of local communities and governmental agencies in the area of Quebec public law, in which wide local powers are being eroded by a marked increase in provincial legislative intervention. The second part recalls that urban ills have not been completely eradicated by the growth of the welfare state, since other problems are now affecting the quality of life. Why, then, is centralization still increasing? In the light of conclusions arrived at by the ‘public choice’ proponents, the underlying causes of the centralization process are described and measures likely to decrease its momentum are suggested: limitation of the fiscal powers of governments, tarification of public services, a redefining of what constitutes a majority, use of referenda, and local tax reform.