Administrative reform in Canada: taking it to a new level or on hold?

Administrative reform in Canada has played out in the context of the Canadian version of the Westminster governance model. Building on British colonial administration, Canadian public administration has also been influenced by developments in its neighbour, the United States, and by the requirements of nation-building. Another driver is Canada’s highly decentralized form of federalism. Reform dynamics have built on a sequence of administrative foundation laying, maturation, and reform, reflecting the Canadian state’s evolving characteristics and needs. The focus was initially on the machinery of government and administrative toolkit. More recent initiatives have addressed organizational culture, shaped by continuously changing technologies and global forces. In recent years there has been less consensus among the major political parties about the role of government and the nature of the reform agenda, making the future direction and pace of reform difficult to predict. A new variable is accelerating reform relating to Canada’s Indigenous communities.