The Public Purse

This study of parliamentary control of finance in Canada will special emphasis on the period after 1867 is an outgrowth of an interest in the House of Commons on the part of its author which earlier produced The Canadian House of Commons: Representation. The author’s main purpose has been to examine the parliamentary side of public expenditure, as distinct from the influence of the Department of Finance and the Auditor General; both these institutions appear frequently in the text, but the emphasis throughout is on the House of Commons. The book demonstrates how erratic the Commons’ record has been, ranging from the good to the very bad, and while recent developments in the House appearing promising, they do not yet offer convincing evidence of a permanent change towards effective scrutiny by it of expenditure by the executive. The Commons’ attitude reflects the attitudes of members and parties, which singly and collectively are under constant pressures, pressures that have militated against the adoption of either a parsimonious view of the public purse or a rigid insistence on fundamental principles. As a result, effective control of public spending has passed from legislative to executive hands, and the Commons is now in the position of trying to win back a share in the control for itself.

Norman Ward’s sound appreciation of matters governmental and his flair for communicating his own enthusiastic interest in them make this book a special treat. The information and analysis will prove invaluable to political scientists, politicians, civil servants, and newsmen; its manner will ensure that the reading of it will be thoroughly enjoyable.

Canadian Government Series, no. 11.