Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Message from the Chair
Ontario must be the leader in shifting public services from a reactive to a proactive
mode. Whether it is health care, social services, education, training, economic development
or almost anything else, governments typically patch up things once something has gone
wrong. Ontario must shift to foreseeing problems and cutting them off before they develop.
This in turn requires a government with a serious research capacity, both internally and
through what it can draw from the outside.
The <strong>Commission</strong> has made hundreds of recommendations for improving the effectiveness and
efficiency with which public services can be delivered.
None of these choices will be easy and many of our proposals will draw vigorous criticism.
But it must be kept in mind that our recommendations can deliver the needed degree of
spending restraint to balance the budget by 2017–18 only if all are implemented. This imposes
a discipline of its own. We expect that many of our recommendations will be rejected. We
accept that, but each rejected recommendation must be replaced not by a vacuum, but by a
better idea –– one that delivers a similar fiscal benefit.
Our recommendations are daunting in depth and scope. Indeed, they may seem
overwhelming, even to the point that the government may fear that they exceed its political
and bureaucratic capacity to carry them out. But there is benefit to moving quickly on many
fronts at once. Targeting certain programs or sectors for reform and restraint can generate a
sense of unfairness. A wide-ranging reform effort will reinforce the notion that we are all in this
together, that all Ontarians can support the reforms because they will benefit in the end from
these changes. And none of this will work if there is no public support.
Although we have not made a formal recommendation on this point, I urge you to consider
holding broader consultations on the economic and fiscal challenges facing this province.
Ontarians have not yet grasped the extent to which the slow decline of this province’s
manufacturing base has undermined both its historic economic advantage relative to the rest
of Canada and the provincial government’s long-term ability to finance the public services they
treasure. You should go beyond a legislative body to review our report and consult as well with
the wider public through town hall gatherings and meetings of stakeholders. An informed
public is essential to the success of the reforms.
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