Canadian Government Executive - Volume 27 - Issue 02

GOVERNMENT The gold standard of trust measurement, the Edelman Trust Barometer, tells us that in Canada, after a blip in March 2020, trust in all institutions, including government, is down. It also tells us that there is a ‘trust inequality gap’, with a 9-point trust differential between the informed public and the mass population, the latter being those who increasingly see government as irrelevant to their needs. March/April 2021 // Canadian Government Executive / 27 and, above all helping citizens adjust to rapid change is diminished. That loss of trust gives credence to those, including politicians, who believe in the ‘deep state’. It provides licence to begin the vicious cycle of government defunding that weakens government’s capacity to act, and replacing public government with private sector delivery agents. It leads to a self-ful- filling prophecy of government irrelevance and ineffectiveness. In governance language, citizens’ faith in government’s legitimacy to make decisions and its relevance to them collapses, diminishing the credibility and effectiveness of its public institutions and eventually putting democracy itself at risk. While loss of trust is an obvious threat to effective government, governments them- selves are not merely innocent bystanders to external forces. They too play a part. Trust must be earned and maintained. We cannot forget that the public sector protects the public interest, and in a democ- racy, is accountable to citizens as part of the electoral cycle. In an increasingly polarized yet interrelated world, exacerbated by social media, determining collective interest in a way that includes marginalized and minor- ity views is increasingly difficult, yet is in fact doubly important if democratic stability and our societal values of inclusion, fairness, and diversity are to be maintained. What does building back trust in govern- ment look like? What investments are need- ed to build back citizen trust in government and confidence in what it does? First, Canadians need to know that their governments are prepared for, and have the capacity to act, in order to address 21st century challenges. Second, public sector leaders need to be heard; their knowledge and expertise needs to become part of the national public debate over the future of the country and the role governments will play in getting there. Third, governments need to understand the impact of extreme social media on their ability to implement policy. On the first, the IOG is launching an ini- tiative called CanGovBetter to investigate the key forces enabling and hindering good pub- lic democratic governance in Canada today. We will explore areas of potential or actual democratic backsliding through engagement with governments, citizens, private sector, media, and civil society organizations, and develop proposals for action for healthy and vibrant democratic governance for Canada in the 21st century. Three key questions will be asked: How can our political institutions strengthen trust in Canadian democracy? How do the rapid advances in digital tech- nology inform, transform, and enable public governance? How can engagement with citi- zens, media, private sector, and civil society organizations enhance democratic decision- making? Second, as Canadians think about their fu- ture and the role government has to play in getting there, they need to hear from those who, on a daily basis, manage the challeng- es, develop the policies, implement the pro- grams and respond to the ever-changing po- litical, legal and public opinion winds. Public sector executives and their organisations are responsible for nearly 40% of Canada’s GDP and an estimated 20% of the country’s work- force. The IOG is launching a study called Top of Mind to gain their frank and candid insights into the challenges, concerns, and anticipated future trends facing Canada and its public institutions, knowledge critical to any debate about the future of the country and its public institutions. Third, the IOG is examining the impact of social media views, including extremes from the right and left, on trust across major policy areas. We will be interviewing senior public sector leaders to understand how the public sector perceives social media views and we will work with them to develop appropriate engagement and response strategies. Canadian democracy is not in crisis mode. Yet. But the signals are there. Now is the time to ensure that we maintain trust in our public institutions in order to preserve social cohesion, economic growth, and the Cana- dian values we cherish. Toby Fyfe is the President of the Institute on Governance.