Has Canada Outsourced Its Government to Consultants?

Canada spends billions on consultants—but is that waste, or proof politicians lack the expertise to govern?

Mike and Paul debate whether Ottawa’s real crisis is outsourcing, accountability, or political competence.

In this episode, we break down:

Why Canada relies so heavily on consultants for IT, procurement, cybersecurity, HR, and government transformation
Whether elected officials are truly qualified to manage complex ministries and multi-billion-dollar systems
How consulting contracts can weaken accountability, transparency, and institutional memory
Why Paul argues consultants may be necessary—but only under stricter rules and performance-based contracts
What Canada could learn from Norway’s long-term planning, centralized systems, and stronger public-sector oversight
How runaway projects like payroll systems and ArriveCAN reflect deeper problems in Canadian governance
Whether Canada needs more experts in government, or fewer outsourced decision-makers