{"id":1501,"date":"2024-08-20T01:40:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T01:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/secteur-public-sector.ca\/?page_id=1501"},"modified":"2024-10-02T20:15:51","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T20:15:51","slug":"governing-canada","status":"publish","type":"book","link":"https:\/\/secteur-public-sector.ca\/en\/book\/governing-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Governing Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Have you ever wondered how the day-to-day business of government actually works? What do prime ministers and ministers do when away from the spotlight of Question Period? How does a government stay on track, and how can a career be derailed? How can a new minister balance the conflicting demands of their chief of staff, their department, their constituency office, and their family at home?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In this first ever handbook of its kind, Michael Wernick, a career public servant with decades of experience “in the room” with Canada\u2019s top politicians, shares candid advice and information that is usually only provided behind closed doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll learn about what goes into picking a Cabinet, how to get the most out of the team, and the ways in which a government works to stay on track. You\u2019ll also discover how ministers build up their influence and political power, and how easily that career can be derailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this handbook isn\u2019t just of use to the neophyte Canadian politician. It\u2019s also essential reading for anyone who has ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in government. You\u2019ll learn why using a government aircraft is a no-no even if a politician\u2019s constituency is five time zones away, how the end of a political career probably won\u2019t be a politician\u2019s decision, and other hard truths only a long-time observer of government from the inside would know. Wernick\u2019s extensive experience as Clerk of the Privy Council and as a Deputy Minister informs a lively, entertaining handbook studded with behind-the-scenes information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Order the book<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Media Reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Wernick\u2026does not tell war stories, nor betray confidences, nor attempt to settle old scores. Instead, he offers all of us a <\/em>front row seat to politics and policy making and he performs an important public service in drafting what is essentially an owner\u2019s manual to official Ottawa<\/em>. It\u2019s a good, digestible read, which I highly recommend to Ottawa insiders and armchair observers alike<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Paul Deegan, Policy Magazine<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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This is as inside government as you can get\u2026the writing is clear, concise, and doesn\u2019t rely on confusing jargon<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Mazereeuw, The Hill Times, The Hot Room Podcast<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Succinct, evocative, blunt and never dull.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ian Bailey, The Globe and Mail<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The lore [Michael has] accumulated\u2026is a valuable contribution to Canadians\u2019 understanding of how they\u2019re governed\u2026[Governing Canada] is nearly devoid of juicy insider gossip\u2014never Wernick\u2019s style\u2014but full of pithy advice to political leaders in general.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Wells, MacLean’s Magazine<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In Washington, D.C., and other capital cities, former staffers race to publish books after their administrations leave office, frequently to settle scores or enhance their own reputations\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governing Canada takes the high road. It unlocks Wernick\u2019s expertise and serves as a resource for an intended audience of aspiring politicians, policy and decision makers, business and non-profit leaders, diplomats, academics, students and the media, providing a detailed picture of how government works and the secrets to being successful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan Rubenstein, Carleton Newsroom<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Governing Canada offers a blueprint on Cabinet-making.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick Taylor-Vaisey, POLITICO Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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This is a must-read book for anyone who wants to understand how government works.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Herle, The Herle Burly Podcast<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Governing Canada is\u2026an account of the real world of government. Wernick believes, insider par excellence that he was, that all governments blend policy and politics. Their leaders must be bifocal, or they will fail\u2026this is a book that accepts the political dimensions of government as indispensable.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeffrey Simpson, Literary Review of Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026invaluable for anyone studying public administration or seeking to move up the ranks of government.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christopher Adams, Winnipeg Free Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Insider accounts about Canadian government are so rare that what goes on in the halls of power can be opaque and confusing. Governing Canada is filled with interesting anecdotes and insights about how government operates. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Marland, author of Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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This is an accessible, insightful, and nonpartisan account of how Canadian government works in practice and will be a valuable resource for anyone studying Canadian politics or wanting to know how ministers, political staff, and public servants work together to fulfil the elected government\u2019s agenda. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Wilson, former director of policy for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, <\/strong>and associate professor in the Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this first ever handbook of its kind, Michael Wernick, a career public servant with decades of experience “in the room” with Canada\u2019s top politicians, shares candid advice and information that is usually only provided behind closed doors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1124,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1501","book","type-book","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tradecraft"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGoverning Canada - A guide to the Tradecraft of Politics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this first ever handbook of its kind, Michael Wernick shares candid advice that is usually only provided behind closed doors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/secteur-public-sector.ca\/en\/book\/governing-canada\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Governing Canada - 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