(Ottawa) – Ottawa Citizen, June 14, 2010 – By Scott Reid & Robin Sears
Here is something you may not realize: Senior government officials are often quite junior in age. Whether federal, provincial or municipal. Conservative, Liberal or New Democrat. By and large, the people who help lead the offices of our MPs, MLAs, mayors, ministers and even prime ministers are fresh out of school, often in their early 20s and holding down their first or second serious job.
There are exceptions of course. The most senior advisers tend to be a bit older. Often, these individuals have worked in government previously, gaining an understanding of how the system works by working within it. But, on balance, when we speak of “government” many people would be amazed to discover that we are describing an army of political staffers who are eager, enthusiastic, with limited work experience, but deep partisan connection.
Their daily decisions make a real difference in the lives of people right across the country. They are charged with advising cabinet and caucus, and liaising with the professional public service on the appropriate implementation of public policy. In a word, these young people matter.
None of this is new or unique to Canada. The energy and excitement of youth has long defined the profile of political staffers across the western world. Youth makes the long hours and low pay marginally less intolerable. However, it would be an error to assume that these people are unqualified. They tend to be bright and extremely motivated, often with impressive academic credentials in traditional disciplines such as political science or history.
The problem is that they arrive on the job with little or no management training to prepare them for the important choices they immediately confront. There is no rulebook for day one at party headquarters, a minister’s office or a national campaign committee. The public rightly expects professionalism from the people who hold these posts but astonishingly there is no professional instruction available to them. Simply said, they are left to learn on-the-job.
The remedy seems straightforward: Offer the training, instruction and guidance required. Provide accredited course work and schooling to those who seek to hold positions as political managers in government, partisan operations or even non-governmental organizations. After all, a profession of such importance to the public deserves its own graduate degree — with all the rigour and effort that implies.
Such programs do exist elsewhere. At George Washington University in Washington, D.C., the Graduate School of Political Management has earned a sterling reputation and counts numerous high profile individuals among its alumni. There are programs in political communication and applied politics at Johns Hopkins University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, Fordham University, and the Copenhagen Business School to name only a few. But nothing of the sort is to be found in Canada.
In recent years, there have been some efforts to correct this shortcoming. Most notably, the Manning Centre for Building Democracy has offered certificate courses in political management that have attracted students, praise and much-deserved recognition. But the time has come for a fully accredited graduate program housed at a recognized institution of higher learning.
It is with this exact objective in mind that Carleton University recently announced the founding of the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management. Graduates will receive a Masters of Political Management and gain access to intern placements to ease their way into the workplace.
As the involvement of representatives from all three national parties hopefully attests, the program will be cross-partisan in design and draw upon instructors with demonstrated experience in electoral politics, party organization and government administration. Course work will focus on institutions and governance, strategic communications and political management. Emphasis will be placed on the practical.
Of all the arguments that recommend this initiative, one rises above: The opportunity to strengthen our democratic institutions. At a time when public cynicism toward government and politics reaches ever higher levels, it bears reminding there is far more about our system that works well than leaves us wanting. By enhancing the education and experience offered to those who pursue political management as a career, we can contribute to both the efficacy and the integrity of our system of government.
The Riddell program cannot guarantee better government or politics of a higher purpose. But it can ensure those we send to work in government and politics are better equipped to help govern.
Scott Reid is principal of Feschuk.Reid and former director of communications for Paul Martin.
Robin Sears is a senior partner with Navigator and was a member of a Carleton University steering committee that advised on the creation of what is now the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management.