“No crisis, no Mark Carney.”
Five simple, unadorned words offered to Radio-Canada during his leadership campaign. Five words that say a lot about how Mark Carney regards himself, our politics, and this moment in time.
Five words that also serve as a pretty fair indication of how Canada’s new prime minister views the task of transition—of selecting an office, a cabinet, and a suite of senior public servants to implement his program.
The practical process of transition is a blizzard of competing considerations, scales to balance, egos to juggle, and scores of unsolicited suggestions.
You need new blood. No, you need old timers. More Quebecers because they voted for you. More Westerners because they voted against. Insiders skilled at navigating the corridors of power versus outsiders to blow up the sclerotic status quo. Don’t be Justin Trudeau. But don’t look too sensitive about Trudeau.
Advice will come by the bushelful. Most of it will be barely worth a listen.
But in sifting that advice and sorting his decisions, Carney has an advantage. He’s a man in the middle of a perceived crisis, and that affords him a unique measure of freedom. He has the flexibility to make decisions that are less conventional and less constrained. If he is a crisis-built prime minister, it stands to reason he will lead a crisis-built government.
Within that context, three imperatives should guide Carney’s thinking toward transition.
Fill your gaps
There are things you don’t know, experiences you don’t own, and talents you do not possess. Find people who do. A particular priority should be ensuring your PMO is staffed with those experienced in engaging and extracting results from the federal public service. One of the (few) advantages of inheriting a government that has been in office for 10 years is that it harbours staff who know which deputy ministers can get a job done, and which cannot. Harness those people so that you can move the machinery of government into the places you require in order to achieve the outcomes you seek.
And, of course, it will be important to appoint people who understand the need to maintain and grow a vibrant political operation. Because another election is coming. And, as a minority prime minister, Carney is going to want the ability to trigger it anytime he wishes, without any doubt that the party’s operational capacity is ready and waiting.
Fill your needs
Identify the ministers, deputies, and advisors who can focus with mad concentration on those things that matter most. And trust your gut when making those picks. For example, this climate of crisis will make it possible to act on energy infrastructure. Who on your team knows how to achieve that? Who needs to be promoted immediately in order to realize those goals? Some will caution to avoid newcomers for fear they could be politically naïve or too unseasoned. Don’t be overly alarmed. If people struggle to adjust, help can be offered. If they fail outright, they can be replaced. But do not hesitate to recruit fresh talent. Empty your Rolodex and cram the government with new, results-oriented leaders—as special advisors, dollar-a-year experts, visiting fellows, even a new deputy or two. The public service may shiver with discomfort, and some of the outsiders will struggle in their new environment. But the chance to create immediate momentum cannot be squandered. Fill your needs with the team and talent who understand what needs to be done and how to do it.
Fill your agenda
The public service will arrive with stacks of binders and reams of recommendations. It’s wise to listen and to consider carefully what is on offer. But the prime minister’s agenda belongs to the prime minister. Transition can be a time for tricks. When those with sudden access to decision-makers will move to wrap up old priorities in a new bow. Watch for tired old proposals that miraculously re-appear emblazoned with a “Canada Fort” sticker. Don’t get sucked in. If that means you need a new clerk, get a new clerk. If that means a different finance minister or a large deputy shuffle, same deal. No time like the present to be a bit ruthless.
And keep the prime minister’s desk uncluttered. Trade relations, rewiring the Canada-U.S. partnership, and protecting Canada’s economic and security position internationally will rise above all other issues. Still, deep institutional pressures will seek to stretch those boundaries and crowd the list of To-Dos ever longer. Do not permit this. The prime minister must preserve his attention for that which truly matters. Transition isn’t only a time for picking your people. It’s a time to project your priorities. Fill your agenda and leave the rest to others. Or, as the case may be, leave the rest for later.
Bonus: empower your ministers
A final, more exacting piece of advice: permit your ministers to stand on their own. Government, especially parliamentary government, ought not to be the unchecked province of the PMO. Allow ministers, within the context of established priorities, to set their own course and take their own chances. Let independent poles of influence emerge within your cabinet and even between ministers. Their strength will grow to benefit the government as a whole. However, no one grows strong under the constant shadow of the centre. In particular, the Trudeau government’s habit of demanding ministerial chiefs of staff report directly to the PMO should be ended. Such a practice distorts the natural trust between minister and staff. That not only dulls the authority of your ministers. It weakens their will to take decisive action.
Carney has come to office in a time of crisis with a mandate to unleash swift structural change.
He knows it. He’s said it. His transition should be shaped by it.
