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?
In this first ever handbook of its kind, Michael Wernick, a career public servant with decades of experience “in the room” with Canada’s top politicians, shares candid advice and information that is usually only provided behind closed doors.
You’ll 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’ll also discover how ministers build up their influence and political power, and how easily that career can be derailed.
But this handbook isn’t just of use to the neophyte Canadian politician. It’s also essential reading for anyone who has ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in government. You’ll learn why using a government aircraft is a no-no even if a politician’s constituency is five time zones away, how the end of a political career probably won’t be a politician’s decision, and other hard truths only a long-time observer of government from the inside would know. Wernick’s extensive experience as Clerk of the Privy Council and as a Deputy Minister informs a lively, entertaining handbook studded with behind-the-scenes information.
Media Reviews
Wernick…does not tell war stories, nor betray confidences, nor attempt to settle old scores. Instead, he offers all of us a front row seat to politics and policy making and he performs an important public service in drafting what is essentially an owner’s manual to official Ottawa. It’s a good, digestible read, which I highly recommend to Ottawa insiders and armchair observers alike.
– Paul Deegan, Policy Magazine
This is as inside government as you can get…the writing is clear, concise, and doesn’t rely on confusing jargon
Peter Mazereeuw, The Hill Times, The Hot Room Podcast
Succinct, evocative, blunt and never dull.
Ian Bailey, The Globe and Mail
The lore [Michael has] accumulated…is a valuable contribution to Canadians’ understanding of how they’re governed…[Governing Canada] is nearly devoid of juicy insider gossip—never Wernick’s style—but full of pithy advice to political leaders in general.
Paul Wells, MacLean’s Magazine
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…
Governing Canada takes the high road. It unlocks Wernick’s 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.
Dan Rubenstein, Carleton Newsroom
Governing Canada offers a blueprint on Cabinet-making.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey, POLITICO Canada
This is a must-read book for anyone who wants to understand how government works.
David Herle, The Herle Burly Podcast
Governing Canada is…an 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…this is a book that accepts the political dimensions of government as indispensable.
Jeffrey Simpson, Literary Review of Canada
…invaluable for anyone studying public administration or seeking to move up the ranks of government.
Christopher Adams, Winnipeg Free Press
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.
Alex Marland, author of Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada
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’s agenda.
Paul Wilson, former director of policy for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and associate professor in the Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University.