Debates About Ministerial Responsibility

Canadian Parliament Responsible Government Debates About Ministerial Responsibility

Some critics charge that ministerial responsibility has become a myth. They point to the fact that governments are seldom defeated on votes of no confidence and that cabinet ministers rarely resign for mistakes made in their departments. Critics insist that Parliament is no longer able to hold ministers accountable because power is concentrated in the hands of the prime minister. With a majority of MPs in the prime minister's party, which insists on strict discipline, Parliament rarely challenges government initiatives. However, it is probably an overstatement to say Parliament does not hold ministers accountable. Punishment for erring ministers and governments may not be as swift or as severe as the conventions of ministerial responsibility seem to require, but the conventions have never been strictly followed. More importantly, erring ministers face potential punishment at election time.

Ministers have historically refused to resign for administrative errors made by public servants acting in their name. This was true even when government was a simpler operation and when it might have been realistic to expect ministers to know everything happening in their departments. Given the scope and complexity of today's government departments, it remains true today. Instead of resigning, cabinet ministers are expected to work to correct problems brought to their attention and prevent their recurrence.

MPs maintain ministerial responsibility and remain accountable to the voters through public processes, such as the daily question period in Commons. If cabinet ministers want to keep their seats in Parliament, they must account for their mistakes and boast of their successes before a usually critical audience of MPs. Voters, who watch question periods on television or read about them in newspapers, decide whether ministers deserve to be reelected partly on the basis of how they perform in this adversarial process. (1)

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Resources

Notes and References

1. Encarta Online Encyclopedia

See Also

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This entry was last updated: March 23, 2014