Carney’s quiet public service revolution
Carney’s quiet public service revolution was written by Kathryn May in 2025. It was published online by Policy Options.
The author discusses the changes in bureaucratic institutions that have been pushed through in the first few months of the Carney administration. The One Canadian Economy Act is emblematic of these reforms but there have been additional moves under the surface
The act was "designed to break down interprovincial trade barriers" and seen as "forcing bureaucrats to focus on delivery, not just compliance." It replaces the management accountability framework (MAF), which governed risk and compliance policy. Centralized Treasury Board audits are replaced with deputy minister self-assessments.
It also creates a projects office in the PCO.
Carney has also shuffled the cabinet and senior bureaucracy, e.g. promoting Mollie Johnson from the PCO to the environment minister.
There is anticipation for further shakeups in "Finance, Infrastructure and Housing, Natural Resources, the Treasury Board, or even PCO itself".