The Politics of Representative Bureaucracy in Canada: A Problem Definition Analysis

Abstract

In Canada, the representation of minorities in the public service has been addressed in two ways. Official languages legislation has effectively remodelled the Canadian civil service as a bilingual institution through the designation of official bilingual regions and positions. Alternately, employment equity policies use an evaluation and exposure approach requiring all major Canadian employers to submit annual reports on the representation of four designated groups (women, visible minorities, Aboriginals, and persons with disabilities). Using a problem definition theoretical model our research demonstrates that the application of specific policy tools is a product of differing social and historical contexts. Representation of minority groups was achieved through the implementation of official language and employment equity legislation. In the face of a national crisis policy entrepreneurs chose to adopt official language legislation not only as a solution to demographic imbalances in federal administrative institutions, but also to redefine Canada as an officially bilingual state. 18 years later, bearing in mind international and historical legislative precedent, employment equity legislation was put into place as the next step in Canada’s human rights journey.