Defending a Contested Ideal: Merit and the Public Service Commission, 1908–2008

Abstract

In 1908, in order to combat the patronage that undermined both the effectiveness of public administration and democratic practices, the Canadian Parliament decided that public servants would be selected on the basis of merit, through a system to be administered by an independent agency: the Public Service Commission of Canada. Published on the occasion of the commission's centenary, this book recounts its history and that of the merit principle, which was born of controversy and has since been the subject of countless debates. It also explains the commission's outstanding resilience and shows its unique contribution to the development of an independent public service, which has been an important pillar of Canadian parliamentary democracy. The book also describes how the commission has contributed through the years to finding an evolving balance among three related, but sometimes conflicting, objectives associated with staff the public service of a liberal democracy: political neutrality, democratic equality and managerial efficiency.