Collectively, provincial deputy ministers command the largest assembly of government budgets, employees, and influence in Canada, but despite their importance, they have not been the subject of systematic study until now. This unique volume, which deals with a uniquely significant topic, reviews the role of deputy ministers within government, providing a major new understanding of their responsibilities and interactions at both the federal and provincial levels. It also contributes important comparative analysis not previously available.

Featuring contributions by many of Canada’s most prominent scholars of public administration, Deputy Ministers in Canada examines a number of factors in the evolution of deputies’ roles. Taking into account social, political, and administrative history, the essays probe topics such as the socio-economic characteristics of administrative elites, the politicization of recruitment processes, the impact of New Public Management, and varieties of ministerial-bureaucratic relations. Together, the essays in Deputy Ministers in Canada make an important contribution to the political science and public administration literature.

Jacques Bourgault is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at l’Université du Québec à Montréal. He is the recipient of the 2012 IPAC Vanier Medal, awarded for an outstanding contribution to public administration or public service in Canada.

Jacques Bourgault's profile page

Christopher Dunn is Professor of Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's. His teaching and publishing interests have included Canadian federal and provincial politics, the Constitution, public policy, and public administration. He is the author of The Institutionalized Cabinet: Governing the Western Provinces (McGill-Queen's University Press, 1995) and Canadian Political Debates: Opposing Views on Issues that Divide Canadians (Oxford University Press, 1995).

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‘An excellent reference…. This book contains an accurate and fascinating discussion of the deputy minister’s role and experience.’

IPAC Magazine (NWT Group); January 2015