Dispatch Box: Mandate Letters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made Ministerial Mandate Letters public for the first time in Canadian history. These letters are given to each minister (36 in total) to outline the prime minister’s expectations of approach and priorities. Each minister’s letter is tailored to her or his responsibilities, expectations of the prime minister, and even includes timelines.
The Mandate Letters were made public to allow for transparency within the Canadian government and to allow Canadian citizens to hold their ministers accountable. Canadians will now have a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each cabinet minister, allowing for more valuable accountability than in years past. As time passes, will Canadians hold it against a minister if her or his mandate objectives drift? This is something to consider as the government comes to terms with changing events and as ministers deal with situations that were never contemplated when they were first appointed.
It is likely that you have not read all 36 Mandate Letters. If you have, kudos to you! How many Canadians will read all 36? Reading a fraction of them will help you better understand the roles of ministers and the expectations the prime minister, and Canada, has for them.
Consider the following questions regarding the publication of Ministerial Mandate Letters:
If set goals are suspended, will Canadians hold it against the minister?
Will opposition parties use Mandate Letters as weapons?
Is this form of openness going too far?
Further Reading
The Government of Canada http://pm.gc.ca/eng/mandate-letters
The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/11/13/trudeau-cabinet-mandate-letter_n_8557660.html
The Government of Canada http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2015/11/13/prime-minister-canada-makes-ministerial-mandate-letters-public
