Chapter 3: New Public Management Reforms in Canada: Success and Failure?

This chapter starts by describing the structure of Canadian government and the division of powers between the federal and provincial/territorial levels, including details on the fiscal positions of each level of government. It then outlines the more important financial reform initiatives implemented by the federal government since 1984, supplemented with provincial examples, focusing on the Province of Alberta, which has been a leader in such reforms. The role of the Auditor General of Canada in prompting such reforms is also discussed. Two key streams of financial reform and their implications for good government are addressed in the chapter, namely, results- based management (RBM) and value for money (VFM) auditing. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the “success” of these reforms, and the impediments to meaningful reform in Canada.