Chapter 9

Thinking Government: Public Administration and Politics in Canada

Accountability: Responsibility, Responsiveness, and Ethics

This chapter explores the related concepts of accountability and public sector ethics. Accountability is the principle that government officials are liable for both the procedural and the substantive merit of their decisions, and it is put into practice through an amalgam of

  • ministerial (or political) responsibility;
  • legal responsibility; and
  • social responsibility.

The text describes the work of scholars who have analyzed these forms of responsiveness in terms of

  • objective versus subjective responsibility; and
  • formal versus informal lines of control.

It concludes that these traditional perspectives on accountability are best blended into a synthetic approach and acknowledges the gap between theory and practice, particularly when it comes to

  • direct versus indirect ministerial responsibility; and
  • ministerial versus administrative responsibility.

How can a minister be directly responsible for every activity carried out in his or her department? What is the difference between the political responsibility of the minister and the administrative responsibility of public sector managers under that minister’s leadership?

The chapter also outlines accountability put into practice through specific mechanisms:

  • tribunals;
  • public consultation;
  • freedom of information legislation;
  • ombuds offices; and
  • special officers.

As well, the chapter analyzes the issue of government ethics, which encompasses three concepts about those in government:

  1. They should not place private interest above public interest.
  2. They should obey the law.
  3. They should support the national political ideals of democracy, equality, liberty, human rights, and collective societal interest.

It looks at how these concepts have been put into practice in Canada through such measures as the Federal Accountability Act, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service. The text concludes with real-world examples of ethical dilemmas and conflict-of-interest enforcement.


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