Defending a Contested Ideal: Merit and the Public Service Commission, 1908-2008

By Luc Juillet and Ken Rasmussen

In 1908, after decades of struggling with a public administration undermined by systemic patronage, the Canadian parliament decided that public servants would be selected on the basis of merit, through a system administered by an independent agency: the Public Service Commission of Canada.

This history, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Commission, recounts its unique contribution to the development of an independent public service, which has become a pillar of Canadian parliamentary democracy.

Published in English.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0776606840
• ISBN13: 9780776606842
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 15 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 10 to 12