Speaking Truth to Canadians About Their Public Service

Donald J. Savoie holds the Canada Research Chair in Public Administration and Governance (Tier 1) at the Université de Moncton. He is the author of numerous books including Canada: Beyond Grudges, Grievances, and Disunity and Democracy in Canada: The Disintegration of Our Institutions.

"Savoie is the acknowledged dean of Canadian public administration. He knows the public sector both as an observer and a participant and makes the case for serious reform in an honest and accessible way. His diagnosis should be required reading for present and future public servants and policymakers, and his critique is nothing less than a stone thrown through the stained-glassed window of bureaucratic resistance to change." Michael Kaczorowski, The Ottawa Citizen"Savoie's new book is a forensic evaluation of the federal public service. For much of our history, the federal public service was a prized and valued profession – a high calling. More than just a job, it was a vocation. Civil servants are the grease and glue to a well-functioning democracy. We need to get it back. Donald Savoie provides us with a trenchant evaluation, the necessary first step to reform." Policy Magazine"Donald Savoie draws on his considerable knowledge about public administration to persuasively argue that there are serious problems with the federal government in Canada regardless of who is in power. Savoie is an excellent, engaging writer and delivers information in a succinct manner. Few scholars so artfully master the skill of communicating with clarity." Alex Marland, author of Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada"Although Savoie's work is measured in tone and meticulously researched, a clear sense of 'enough is enough' permeates Speaking Truth to Canadians about Their Public Service. Yet Savoie's purpose is not to condemn the public service but to defend it, to help it work better and be more accountable." Literary Review of Canada