Description:
2025 DONNER PRIZE FINALIST
Is the Canadian government contributing to its own underperformance? An insider's guide to steering our nation toward greater efficiency Canada is struggling. Our growth is anemic, our standard of living is stagnant, our housing is unaffordable, and our health care system is nearing a breaking point. To make matters worse, the government fails to deliver core services and avoid management fiascos like the ArriveCan and Phoenix scandals. These failures are systemic and interconnected. What connects them is a fatal flaw in how the federal government operates, makes decisions, and takes action. Power has shifted from Cabinet to the Prime Minister and Prime Minister's Office with political staff taking on a larger role relative to the Public Service, and parliament has lost its ability to call the elected government to account. With 50 years of combined experience in leadership positions in government, authors Lynch and Mitchell offer an expert's perspective on how to restore accountability and rebuild a culture of excellence by proposing a new blueprint for reshaping government. As Canadians face uncertainties at home and abroad, these practical and straightforward recommendations offer a path forward to ensure our nation's prosperity.Brief description: Kevin Lynch, who hails from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, started his career at the Bank of Canada. This led to a 33-year career in government that included leadership roles as Clerk of the Privy Council, Deputy Minister of Finance, and Deputy Minister of Industry. Post government, Dr. Lynch served as Vice Chair of BMO, was active on numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards, and still writes and speaks frequently on public policy issues.
Review Quotes: ""A gem of a book on public policy and Canadian government at a time when Canada is especially in need of a reflective analysis.""--Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, 2010-17