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There are many things the Carney government needs to achieve its economic ambitions: global allies, foreign direct investment, intergovernmental collaboration and a skilled labour force.  

But central to accomplishing anything is the public’s trust in government and the core of government itself, the public service. Both are closely related. The non-political public service is what executes the vision of the party in power and delivers core government responsibilities, such as the Employment Insurance system or monitoring food and drug safety.  

But most Canadians have shaky confidence in the capacity of the bureaucracy, new data suggests.

In a Confederation of Tomorrow survey, 61 per cent of respondents said they are not very confident or not confident at all in the ability of public servants to plan ahead by 10 to 20 years (figure 1). The study was done in February and March. The Institute for Research on Public Policy (the IRPP) is a partner.

That number rises to 75 per cent among Conservative voters.  

In Saskatchewan and Quebec, a little over two-thirds of respondents said they don’t have confidence in their ability to plan for the future.  

Overall, 67 per cent of respondents said they are not confident in the ability of public servants to spend taxpayers’ money wisely (figure 2).

Respondents were split on their confidence in public servants’ ability to deliver services to their community or to keep up with technological change.  

Politicians, too, seem to have doubts about the federal government’s........

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