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Donald Savoie

While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Donald Savoie.

GG Simon on solid ground to dismiss Poilievre’s request to recall Parliament, but if a majority of MPs asked, it could be a different story

GG Simon on solid ground to dismiss Poilievre’s request to recall Parliament, but if a majority of MPs asked, it could be a different story

Canada’s Constitution is a combination of codified acts and unwritten rules known as constitutional conventions. The codified parts provide an unambiguous legal framework for the exercise of power. The uncodified parts are less clear and, at times, open to interpretation. The relationship between the prime minister and the governor general is guided by constitutional conventions as is the relationship between...

  • 2024-12-24
  • — Hill Times
In its current form, Canada’s public service can’t attract the best and the brightest

In its current form, Canada’s public service can’t attract the best and the brightest

The debate over the federal public service has mostly centred on its size – and that’s certainly an issue that calls out for attention, given its recent growth. In 1998, there were 187,000 federal public servants; today, there are 367,772. The federal public service has grown by 40 per cent since 2015, representing more than 50 per cent of the cost of government operations.

  • 2024-09-20
  • — The Globe and Mail
Ottawa, we have a problem: the federal public service

Ottawa, we have a problem: the federal public service

What on earth is going on in Ottawa? One day we are informed that a federal government department signed a $670,000 contract with a consulting firm asking for advice on how to cut back awarding consulting contracts. A few days later, two senior federal public servants pointed at one another to explain why contracts with a private sector firm went...

  • 2023-12-27
  • — The Globe and Mail