Restoring accountability : Parliament, ministers and deputy ministers

In support of their proposal, they state that, had the cost of the gun-control program been reported separately rather than being included in the vote providing for the administrative cost of the entire Department of Justice, the actual cost of the program would have been evident, leading to a debate at a much earlier stage. [...] Much of it can arise in the context of regular collaborative interaction between the ministerial office and the department and, as such, is difficult to categorize specifically as “direction.” How direction from the minister’s office is received in the department largely depends on the personal reputation and credibility of the exempt staff in question. [...] But such an assessment is also not surprising, given the high degree of youth and amateurism typical of the role; the variability in the personalities and capacities of the ministers who hire them; the long-standing debate over their rightful role in the policy process; the tensions that arise due to Introduction 15 disparities in age, expertise and experience between them and their department cou [...] In Canada, the authority to staff the public service is vested in the Public Service Commission, except for the two highest ranks—deputy minister and associate deputy minister—which are appointed by the Prime Minister,using the authority of the Governor in Council. [...] The most senior deputy minister is the Clerk of the Privy Council, who is also Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Public Service, and who serves as the Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister.