Rudderless in the Storm? The Crisis of Adaptability in Canadian Governance

Abstract

Conditions facing Canadian governments will be challenging for the remainder of this century. If dangers are managed poorly, Canada will not thrive, and in the worst case the Canadian state will not survive. Adaptability, the capacity to anticipate and manage threats, is a critical quality for state survival in turbulent conditions. Achieving adaptability is always difficult in decentralized polities because of tendencies toward short-sightedness, confusion, and miscoordination. Moreover, adaptability has declined in Canada in recent decades. This is partly attributable to socio-economic transformations, and partly due to choices that Canadian leaders have made about dismantling or redesigning government institutions. Four reforms are suggested to restore adaptability in Canada: more investment in long-term thinking, revival of national leadership summits, closer attention to the health of the Canadian public sphere, and independent review of Canada's public and political services.