It is disappointing to read all of the mischaracterizations on here of what the public service does. Understanding how the public service works is fundamental to understanding how Canadian parliamentary democracy works.
The public service exists to deliver services, but also to advise the Executive (and Parliament). Technically the civil service will do exactly what the Executive tells it to do; however, a much better, and healthier relationship, occurs when the Executive asks the civil service for advice on complex policy questions. After all, the civil service is comprised of very intelligent, experienced people (a Master's degree is necessary for even lower positions now; a PhD or over 20 years experience for anything higher). Gee, imagine that. Intelligent, experienced people who care about their country. The lazy ones are few and far between, and if you actually knew anyone who worked in the public service you would know that. Perhaps they deserve a modicum of respect, rather than the bullying and mistreatment they have experienced over the past few years. As a very wise man once wrote, 'Tis no sin for a man to labour in his vocation.
Big and small-c conservatives are traditionally very suspicious of civil servants, which is fine. That is their ideology and they are entitled to it. But to believe, as the CPC did, that the bureaucracy is simply there to spin partisan initiatives is a fundamental misunderstanding of what the civil service does. And to not allow civil servants to discuss their work with the public (they work for the PUBLIC, not the ruling party!) was also wrong.
Anyone who wants to really understand the Canadian civil service should check out the numerous works of Donald Savoie.
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"Two-liner!"
-Terry
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