Prime Minister Mark Carney has written a letter to his ministers. In a departure from the practice of his predecessor, Prime Minister Carney did not issue a set of public mandate letters, with a lengthy one for each minister. Instead, he released a single, relatively short letter for the whole ministry that enumerates seven key priorities. Prime Minister Carney has explained that the single message for all ministers reflects a “unified approach.” The letter makes it clear that the focus for Carney is on the economy for the most part, with housing, the affordability crisis, border security, and Canada’s relationship with the United States as key intersecting themes. But we knew that already. The letter does not contain explicit instructions that would help ministers understand their role in the prime minister’s vision. Instead, it gives the sense that he has a plan in his head and the rest of us are on a need-to-know basis – ministers included. This approach speaks volumes about Prime Minister Carney’s approach to communication and, though it is too early to tell for sure, to governance as well.
Mandate letters are dispatches from the prime minister to ministers that outline priorities, expectations, and tasking. They are “to do lists” that spell out the role that a particular minister plays in the broader government mandate. When you put them all together, they lay out the legislative agenda for a government over a particular period, whether for the year or for the whole of the mandate or somewhere in between. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau was the first prime minister to make federal mandate letters public. This was, in large part, a political move designed to set the Trudeau government in contrast with that of Stephen Harper, whose desire to keep his cards close often led to accusations of secrecy. Public mandate letters scream transparency. Further, they fit nicely with the Trudeau government’s commitment to “deliverology” – a system of implementing decisions, tracking results, and ticking off boxes when promises are kept.
Public mandate letters had advantages. For one thing, though they were officially addressed to ministers they were received by the deputy ministers and departments who supported them, as well as the affected stakeholders and interested members of the public. On the downside, the publication of these letters seemed to lead to a proliferation of promises. Hundreds of them, in fact, which made it difficult to know where the emphasis was.
Prime Minister Carney’s letter conveys a more concentrated focus, but it lacks clarity and direction. Ministers reading this letter don’t know where they fit into the plan. And even if he’s telling them this behind the scenes, stakeholders and members of the public will have to figure it out on their own.
Though it is too early to tell, this approach – combined with his overall demeanor and attitude towards his new job – suggest that Prime Minister Carney is not a process guy. He’s all about results. He is decisive and not necessarily concerned with public appearances. Transparency has value in a democracy but Mr. Carney is used to the financial sector, where consequences and outcomes are what matter. There is not the same demand to show one’s work and to build consensus and acceptance around decisions.
Time will tell how Prime Minister Carney will respond to demands, no doubt from both within and outside the political realm, to be transparent and forthcoming about how decisions are made. It’s early days yet. And though he is likely to try to run his government like he has a majority, he did not manage to secure that mandate. Political management will become necessary. Further, ministers need to do their jobs and lead their departments. Good governance depends on productive working relationships between ministers, their deputies, and the broader organization.
Prime Minister Carney has an ambitious agenda and a short time to produce results. He might find that transparent communication, though sometimes risky, could help him to achieve his goals by engaging political actors, the public service, stakeholders, and the public at large in his project.
