An analysis of changes in stakeholder accountability among Canadian WCBs: 1998–2008

• Published in: Canadian Public Administration
• Main Author: Rixon, Daphne
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2010
• Subjects: Public Administration; Sociology and Political Science; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-7121.2010.00132.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1754-7121.2010.00132.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1754-7121.2010.00132.x

Abstract: Many essential public services in Canada have been delegated to agencies. The semi‐autonomous nature of these agencies, often operating at arm's‐length from government, leads to difficulties in holding them sufficiently accountable. Of the many public‐sector agencies in Canada, workers' compensation boards (WCBs) are arguably the most autonomous in comparison to other government agencies such as health care and social services. In their article, derived from an earlier background paper written in 1998, Therese Jennissen, Michael Prince and Saul Schwartz (2000) called for increased WCB accountability to elected officials. The aim of the current article is, first, to conduct a document review to determine the extent to which the recommendations made by Jennissen and her colleagues have been adopted at the national level and, secondly, through a case study, to examine the implications of these changes at the Newfoundland Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission, where many of the recommendations have been implemented.