Machinery of Government
… a core topic in Governance and Institutions and Atlas100
Oil on Canvas, Oleg Osipoff, 2016
Topic description
This topic deals with how the executive branch of government is organized.
Topic learning outcome
Upon completing this topic the student will be aware of the main units within the executive branch of government are led and will be familiar with the concepts in the table below.
Core concepts associated with this topic
| Machinery of Government | Secretary of the Cabinet, Ontario
Prime Minister as First Among Equals |
Treasury Board Secretariat |
Atlas resource pages associated with this topic
Eidelman’s Machinery of Government Maps
Government Electronic Directory Service (GEDS)
INFO-GO, Government of Ontario Employee and Organization Directory
Machinery of Municipal Government (a concept in Municipal Governance)
PMO Moving Expenses Story (an Atlas case news story)
Open access readings for 8 hours of preparation
The concept and resource pages noted above.
The Canadian Encylopedia, Prime Minister, at http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/prime-minister/, accessed 26 August 2016.
Martin Patriquin, Does Justin Trudeau risk being overexposed? Maclean’s, 26 August 2016, at http://www.macleans.ca/politics/does-justin-trudeau-risk-being-overexposed/, accessed 26 August 2016.
J.E. Hodgetts (2006), The Prime Minister’s Office, The Canadian Encylopedia, first published 7 February 2006 last edited 27 January 2015, at http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/prime-ministers-office/, accessed 24 August 2016.
Jay Makarenko (2007), The Prime Minister & Cabinet in Canada, Mapleleafweb, 1 June 2007, at http://mapleleafweb.com/features/prime-minister-cabinet-canada, accessed 26 August 2016.
Jeffrey Graham Bell (2006), Agents of Parliament – A New Branch of Government? Canadian Parliamentary Review, Spring 2006, 13-21, at http://www.revparl.ca/29/1/29n1_06e_Bell.pdf, accessed 24 October 2016.
Recommended readings in MPP and MPA courses
Toronto PPG1000 Governance and Institutions
Siu, Bobby C. Y. 2013. “Public Policy and the Government,” in Developing Public Policy: A Practical Guide, pp. 35-46. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Bakvis, Herman, and Steven B. Wolinetz. 2005. “Canada: Executive Dominance and Presidentialization,” in The Presidentialization of Politics: A Comparative Study of Modern Democracies, eds. Thomas Poguntke and Paul Webb, pp. 200-219. Oxford : Oxford University Press.
Tindal, C. Richard, and Susan Nobes Tindal. 2009. Selections from “Municipal Governing Structures,” in Local Government in Canada, 7th ed., pp. 245–56, 264–73. Toronto: Nelson.
Concept comprehension questions
AQ100.04.01. Among statements a-d pertaining to the term machinery of government choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Machinery of government refers to the interconnected structures and processes of government in the executive branch of government.
b. In Canada, the Machinery of Government secretariat in the Privy Council Office provides advice and support to the Prime Minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council on the structure and functioning of the government as a whole.
c. Most changes to the machinery of government in Canada require legislation to implement.
d. Much of the advice on the machinery of government involves supplying advice on the prerogative responsibilities of the Prime Minister, including: Ministerial mandates; the structure of Cabinet, its committees and their decision-making processes; the structure and organization of government portfolios; the roles and accountability of senior public office holders; and transitions from government to government.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.02. Among statements a-d pertaining to the term political executive choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. In a Westminster system, the political executive comprises the Prime Minister or Premier, Cabinet and the most senior members of the continuing civil service.
b. In a Westminster system, the political executive comprises the Prime Minister or Premier and Cabinet and the political staff that support them.
c. In a Westminster system, the political executive includes the Prime Minster’s (or Premier’s) Office and ministers’ offices.
d. The political executive directs the government of the day, while the civil service, like the Crown itself, enjoys continuity through transitions of government.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.03. Among statements a-d pertaining to the term prime minister choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. In a Westminster system, the prime minister is the presiding and actual head of government and head of the executive branch.
b. In Canada, the roles and responsibilities of the prime minister are set out in the Constitution Acts 1867 to 1982.
c. The prime minister controls the governing party, speaks for it, and after appointment to office has at his or her disposal a large number of patronage appointments with which to reward the party faithful. The prime minister names senators and senior judges for appointment, and appoints and dismisses all members of Cabinet – through the governor general – and decides on their responsibilities.
d. The prime minister enjoys a special relationship with the Crown, as he or she is the only person who can consult with the governor general, and advise the governor general to dissolve or prorogue Parliament and call an election.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.04. Among statements a-d pertaining to the term Prime Minister’s Office choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. In Canada, the responsibilities of Prime Minster’s Office are set out in the legislation rather than in the Constitution.
b. The Prime Minister’s Office is responsible for press and public relations, the Prime Minister’s correspondence and speaking engagements, advising on candidates for appointment to the numerous order-in-council appointees, maintaining contact with the party’s officials outside the legislature and with the party caucus in the legislature.
c. In Canada, the Prime Minster’s Office is staffed with temporary political appointees rather than full-time, career civil servants and its budget is a component of the estimates for the Privy Council Office.
d. The functions of Prime Minister’s Office derive from the Prime Minister’s political responsibilities as party leader rather than as head of government, though in practice the division between these responsibilities is not clear.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.05. Among statements a-d pertaining to the term premier choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. In Westminster systems, the head of government can be referred to as prime minister, premier, or first minister.
b. In Canada, the normal term for head of government of the country is prime minister, of a province is premier, and of a territory is first minister.
c. The prime minister – premier distinction does not exist in French, with federal, provincial, and territorial first ministers being styled premier minister.
d. In Canada, although the word premier in English is merely a synonym for prime minister, it is employed for provincial and territorial prime ministers to differentiate them from the Prime Minister of Canada.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.06. Among statements a-d pertaining to the Office of the Premier choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. The Office of the Premier of a Canadian province, often referred to as the Premier’s Office or PO, provides logistical and political support to the Premier.
b. The Office of the Premier in many provinces operate in an analogous fashion to the way the Prime Minister’s Office provides support to the Prime Minister of Canada.
c. The Office of the Premier would, out of respect to Westminster traditions of separation of partisan and policy advice, not normally have positions with policy in their title.
d. Staff in the Office of the Premier normally work closely with non-partisan staff in the Cabinet Office, which is also organized to support the work of the Premier.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.07. Among statements a-d pertaining to the Privy Council Office choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Most Westminster-style governments have a Cabinet Office and in the Canadian government, this office is called the Privy Council Office.
b. The Privy Council Office reports to the Prime Minister’s Office and provides objective information from international and domestic sources inside and outside government (including the provinces and territories).
c. The Privy Council Office supports the Prime Minister and Cabinet by bringing together objective information and policy advice from across the Public Service.
d. The Privy Council Office manages the appointments process for senior positions in federal departments, Crown corporations and agencies.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.08. Among statements a-d pertaining to the position of Clerk of the Privy Council choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Most Westminster-style governments have a Cabinet Office headed by a public servant and in the Canadian government this position is called the Clerk of the Privy Council.
b. The Clerk of the Privy Council reports to the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister.
c. The Clerk of the Privy Council is also the Secretary to the Cabinet.
d. The Clerk of the Privy Council is also the Head of the Public Service.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.09. Among statements a-d pertaining to the position of Secretary of the Cabinet in Ontario choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Most Westminster-style governments have a Cabinet Office headed by a public servant and in the Ontario government this position is called the Secretary of the Cabinet.
b. In Ontario, the Secretary of the Cabinet reports to the Chief of Staff to the Premier.
c. In Ontario, the Secretary of the Cabinet is also the Clerk of the Executive Council.
d. In Ontario, the Secretary of the Cabinet is also the Head of the Ontario Public Service.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.10. Among statements a-d pertaining to presidentialism choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Presidentialism is a form of government in which the head of government is also the head of state.
b. Presidentialism is a form of government in which the executive is not politically responsibility to the legislature.
c. Presidentialism is a form of government in which the head of government is popularly elected.
d. Presidentialism is a form of government in which executive responsibility is unipersonal.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.11. Among statements a-d pertaining to the first among equals model of the Prime Minister choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. In the first among equals model, the Prime Minister can be viewed as chair of a board attempting to forge a consensus out of competing and sometimes dissenting views.
b. In the first among equals model, the Prime Minister cannot move forward unless there is a consensus or, failing that, a clear majority on any given position.
c. The Prime Ministership of Lester B. Pearson from 22 April 1963 to 20 April 1968 was close to the first among equals model.
d. After Lester Pearson, Prime Ministerships were less like the first among equals model and more like the Prime Minister as CEO model, consistent with the presidentialization of a Westminster system.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.12. Among statements a-d pertaining to the Prime Minister as CEO model choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. The Prime Minister as CEO model is one where the Prime Minister is chief executive officer (CEO).
b. In the Prime Minister as CEO model Ministers effectively report to the Prime Minister and the only collective role which cabinet plays is advisory.
c. In the Prime Minister as CEO model is consistent with the presidentialization of a Westminster system.
d. The Prime Minister as CEO model is unusual in modern Westminster systems, most of which are better characterized by the Prime Minister as first among equals model.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.13. Among statements a-d pertaining to Prime Ministerial prerogatives choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Prime Ministerial prerogatives are Crown prerogatives that are exercised on the advice of the Prime Minister, in contrast to the advice of the Cabinet (Ministers in Council).
b. Much of the power enjoyed by a Prime Minister stems from his or her authority to form the Cabinet since it is the Prime Minister who decides who will actually make up the Cabinet, and what portfolios will be assigned to each person.
c. The Prime Minister also has the power to determine who holds many key offices in the public service, including Senators, Supreme Court judges, deputy ministers, and heads of government agencies, boards, and corporations.
d. The Prime Minister is often seen as the nation’s chief diplomat in an era of summit diplomacy when Heads of Governments regularly meet with one another on a face-to-face basis.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.14. Among statements a-d pertaining to Cabinet selection choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Prime Ministers must select Cabinet members from elected members of the legislature.
b. Prime Minister generally appoint MPs solely from his or her political party to serve (unless it is a coalition government).
c. Prime Ministers may use Cabinet appointments to smooth over divisions within the party by, for example, appointing a chief rival to a key Cabinet position.
d. Prime Ministers usually try to select a Cabinet that is representative of a country’s regional and linguistic traditions which in Canada means having at least one Cabinet Minister from each province or region.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.15. Among statements a-d pertaining to the Treasury Board choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. The Treasury Board is a Cabinet committee of the Queen’s Privy Council of Canada and its responsibilities include developing tax policy and managing federal borrowing on financial markets.
b. The Treasury Board is responsible for accountability and ethics, financial, personnel and administrative management, comptrollership, approving regulations and most Orders-in-Council.
c. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat provides advice and makes recommendations to the Treasury Board committee of ministers on how the government spends money on programs and services, how it regulates and how it is managed.
d. The Treasury Board is chaired by the President of the Treasury Board.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.16. Among statements a-d pertaining to the Department of Finance choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. In Canada, the Department of Finance monitors developments in Canada and around the world to provide analysis and advice to the Government of Canada.
b. In Canada, the Department of Finance develops and implements fiscal and economic policies that support the economic and social goals of Canada and its people.
c. In Canada, the Department of Finance interacts extensively with other federal organizations and acts as a conduit for the views of participants in the economy from all parts of Canada.
d. In Canada, the Department of Finance is responsible for financial management and comptrollership policies across the government.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.17. Among statements a-d pertaining to the Public Service Commission choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. A public service commission (or civil service commission) is a body created to protect the non-partisan nature of a public (or civil) service.
b. In the Canadian federal government, the Public Service Commission is mandated to oversee the integrity of the staffing system and ensure non-partisanship by carrying out audits that provide assurance and conducting investigations that can lead to corrective action in the case of errors or problems.
c. In the Canadian federal government, the Public Service Commission is mandated to administer provisions of the Public Service Employment Act related to the political activities of employees and deputy heads.
d. In the Canadian federal government, the President of the Public Service Commission has the status of a deputy minister and, like other deputy ministers, can be appointed and removed without reference to Parliament.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.18. Among statements a-d pertaining to the merit principle choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. The meaning of merit has shifted over time, with merit becoming a richer and more complex concept that is infused with central, and sometimes contending, public service values.
b. A careful distinction must be made between the merit “principle” and the merit “system” and the current definition of the merit system is very similar to earlier ones.
c. The meaning of merit has become so difficulty to specify with precision that it is no longer used as the basis of hiring in Canadian civil services.
d. Hiring on the basis of merit is cited as a core principle of most civil services in OECD countries.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.19. Among statements a-d pertaining to the agents of Parliament choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. In Canada, all of the following are agents of Parliament: Auditor General; Chief Electoral Officer; Privacy Commissioner; Parliamentary Budget Officer.
b. An agent of Parliament is required to have the confidence of either the House or Senate or both to approve (or nominate and approve) the agency’s executive candidate.
c. An agent of Parliament has a statutory guarantee of a term at least five years in length.
d. Cabinet cannot remove the executive head of an agent of Parliament without a resolution of the House and/or the Senate.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.20. Among statements a-d pertaining to the government program choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. The Government of Canada defines a program as a group of related resource inputs and activities that are managed to meet specific needs and to achieve intended results, and that are treated as a budgetary unit.
b. Each program has a budget that is described in a document (e.g., Estimates) before being authorized by the legislature.
c. Some government programs are disaggregated into sub-programs and some of these can be further disaggregated into sub-sub-programs, each of which has a specific budget, and is delivered by a specific institutional unit headed by a responsible manager.
d. For management purposes is more useful and precise to specify programs in terms of outputs and outcomes than in terms of financial costs and delivery units.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
AQ100.04.21. Among statements a-d pertaining to the Estimates choose one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. For governments in the Westminster tradition, Estimates publications explain how organizations plan to spend funds.
b. Estimates publications explain how federal organizations plan to spend funds. The Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates provide information on spending authority that Parliament will be asked to approve during the fiscal year.
c. In Canada, individual departments and agencies also produce Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPPs) and The RPPs are typically tabled soon after the Main Estimates and show an organization’s priorities and planned results for the next three years. DPRs, tabled in the fall, are accounts of results achieved during the most recent fiscal year.
d. In Canada, Departmental Performance Reports (DPRs) are an integral part of the Estimates process as specified in the Parliament of Canada Act.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid statements.
Page created by: Ian Clark, last modified on 3 February 2017.
Image: Fine Art America, Machinery of Government by Oleg Osipoff (Oil on Canvas, 130 cm by 100 cm, price $11,600), at http://fineartamerica.com/featured/machinery-of-government-oleg-osipoff.html, accessed 24 August 2016.