Poli 618

Merit vs Representation

V. Seymour Wilson and Willard A. Mullins “Representative Bureaucracy: Linguistic∕Ethnic Aspects In Canadian Public Policy. Barbara Wake Carroll, David Siegel, Mark Sproule-Jones, Classic Readings in Canadian Public Administration, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005. 210-232

211 “The principle of bilingualism goes to the very heart of Canadian democracy, and a failure to resolve the complex issues involved would surely threaten, perhaps even destroy, Canadian federalism. On this point all sides in the House of Commons apparently agree, for the principle of bilingualism has repeatedly received the support of the majority of parliamentarians from all parties. What is in dispute, however, is the Trudeau government’s policies for applying the principle.”

Policy encompassed two themes “services to the public” and “effectively balanced participation” (Canadians working for the federal public service should generally be able to work in the language of their choice)

Two elements, interpretations: 1) bilingualism as a means for services, the operationalization of bilingualism vs how the culture could change the federal public service

217 “Stated simply, the idea of representative bureaucracy is that the public service should be democratized, and that this can be accomplished by including, in the composition of the bureaucracy, “representatives” from major social groups in proportion to each group’s numerical size within the total society. In any society, at least in one with significant degree of social heterogeneity, the literal, arithmetical, application of this idea is full of quandaries to the point of absurdity.”

“Do we opt for the most capable of the population, or do we logically seek a micro-reproduction of the society, giving proportional representation to, among others, the ignorant and the feebleminded?”

218 balanced representation as a supplement or modification of the traditional merit system – rather