Service at the pleasure of the crown
The law of dismissal of senior public servants
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9783710 |
|---|---|
| Authors | William Allan Neilson (Government of British Columbia, corresponding author), William A W Neilson |
| Year | 1984 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 556-575 |
| Publication date | 1984-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Public Administration (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0008-4840 • E-ISSN: 1754-7121 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1754-7121.1984.tb00644.x |
| OpenAlex | W2040361054 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
The old law that public servants serve at the crown's pleasure has a modern‐day meaning for senior members of the public service facing dismissal in the wake of reorganization, cutbacks and the downsizing of governments' operations, Others discover that their services are not “politically compatible” in the judgment of a new minister or the cabinet of a new government. This paper reviews the law and practice of dismissal as they affect the nonunion career public servants who are told by their government employer that they no longer serve at Her Majesty's pleasure. Despite adverse judicial comment and some legislative constraints, the old law persists and recent dismissals in Saskatchewan and British Columbia confirm that government employers are quite prepared to take a very strict legal approach when it serves their immediate interests in dealing with the senior public service. The longer‐run implications of these developments, and the recent interest in placing senior personnel on personal service contracts, raise important questions about the prospects for a career, non‐partisan public service. Sommaire: Le vieux principe voulant que les fonctionnaires soient soumis au bon plaisir de la Couronne presente une signification fort actuelle pour les cadres supérieurs de la fonction publique qui se voient menacés de renvoi par suite d'une réorganisation, de coupures ou d'une “rationalisation” des programmes gouvernementaux. Certains découvrent alors que leurs fonctions ne sont pas “politiquement compatibles”, selon l'opinion du nouveau ministre ou du nouveau cabinet. Cet article fait le point sur le droit et les pratiques touchant le congédiement des fonctionnaires de carrière lion syndiqués que leur employeur gouvernemental, juge ne plus faire le bon plaisir de Sa Majesté. En dépit de critiques judiciaires et de contraintes législatives, le vieux principe subsiste. Et les congédiements effectués récemment en Saskatchewan et en Colombie‐Britannique confirment que les employeurs gouvernementaux sont prêts à adopter une approche très légaliste si cela sert leurs intérêts immédiats dans leurs transactions avec les hauts fonctionnaires. Les répercussions à long terme de ces événements et les récentes suggestions d'offrir aux cadres supérieurs des contrats personnels de service soulèvent d'importantes questions quant à l'avenir de la fonction publique en tant que corps professionnel et non‐partisan. “... if you live by the order in council, you die by the order in council.” l Saskatchewan cabinet minister , 1982 “... the members want to know if they can be fired, what compensation they can get ..., whether they can be forced to transfer, and whether they must accept lower paying jobs.” 2
Art · Cabinet (room · Civil servants · Dismissal · Government (linguistics · Humanities · Political science · Politics · Public service · Rationalisation · History · Law · Legal principles and applications · Multicultural Socio-Legal Studies · Philosophy · Political Systems and Governance
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,11 |
| Citation span | 1988 - 2018 (31) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |