Creating an open and transparent government

Yesterday Kathleen Wynne made public the mandate letters written by Ministers to their Parliamentary Assistants.  Queens Park media was somewhat less than impressed and totally discounted the effort, focusing instead on existing lapses in transparency at both MaRs and Ornge. 

  Investigating and exposing the details behind those two issues is indeed important, but it is unfortunate they overshadow the progress, however slow, that is being made toward transparency and accountability.

Mandate letters are incredibly broad in scope and lacking in detail, but they put in writing for the first time, a record of the commitment from the current government for each Ministry.  As Ms. Wynne states in each Minister's letter, which is repeated to the PA's, her government is committed to increasing openness and transparency.

This written commitment, if successfully implemented, will mark a huge transformation from the currently accepted method of operation in the government.  After years of taking hits from various interest groups for every decision made, government bureaucrats have retreated into back room discussions, confidentiality agreements and public consultations that pay lip service to the notion of informed government policy.

Some people think Ms. Wynne, having made the commitment, should just direct her ministers, and through them, the public servants to embrace openness and transparency.  Unfortunately, no large and complex organization, public or private, works that way.  The public service is made up of many people with differing political views and ideas about the role of government. 

Bringing all those people to share a common belief about the benefits of an open and transparent government will take some time and require strong leadership.  It will also require many small steps toward accountability, which include releasing mandate letters devoid of any detail or consequences for failure.

Some of that accountability will come from the public asking questions about how a Ministry's actions correspond to their obligations as outlined in the Mandate letters.  

For the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, one of those obligations relates to the Northern Growth Plan

Driving Growth in Northern Ontario

• Continuing to drive the implementation of the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario. You will consult with the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure and work with partner ministries, municipalities, Aboriginal communities and key stakeholders. Your goal is to ensure that priorities for the North align with the objectives of the Growth Plan.
• Continuing to work with the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. Together, you will work to create jobs, improve productivity, promote diversification in the region’s economy — and stimulate innovation, entrepreneurship and business development investments in the North.
• Leading our government’s efforts to integrate and co-ordinate northern policy and planning activities, informed by the Growth Plan.
• Conducting a five-year review of the Growth Plan in 2016 to assess progress and achievements to date.

Hopefully that review of the Growth Plan will make assessments based on some of the Monitoring and Performance Measures contained within it.

8.4 Monitoring and Performance Measures

8.4.1   The Minister of Infrastructure and the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry will jointly monitor overall implementation of this Plan and report on what progress provincial ministries and municipalities have made to implement the policies in this Plan.

8.4.2   The Minister of Infrastructure and the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry will work with external partners to develop a set of performance indicators to assist in Plan monitoring and reporting as set out in Policy 8.4.1.

8.4.3   Success in achieving this Plan's outcomes will, in part, be measured by assessing progress in:

1. attracting investment and business growth in Northern Ontario
2. diversifying the North's economic base
3. supporting education and skills development of the North's workforce
4. increasing the involvement of Aboriginal peoples in the northern economy
5. improving the connectivity of the northern population though information technologies.

It is further acknowledged that long-term progress in these areas requires sustained, co-ordinated efforts by the Province and all its external partners.

8.4.4   The Province is further committed to the development of performance measures for ministry-specific initiatives that support implementation of the policies in this Plan.

Wide ranging mandate letters are an important step in the quest for an open and transparent government, but real measurements of the progress toward the commitments within them are going to be essential, if they are to have any meaning.