Page - 173 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

173Good Governance: Institutions, Processes, and People We turn to our political and public service leaders not only to provide government policy and program response, but also to pro- vide that elusive sense of leadership that instills confidence and trust. Regardless of their political stripe, Canadian leaders have realized the public turns to them for decisiveness, calm, and fairness.29 They have largely risen to the occasion, some excelling well beyond expectations. The comparison of Canadian political leaders with those in the U.S. and the U.K. has been rather stark in this regard. You do not need the “great person” theory of history to recognize that the backgrounds, characters, and nature of people in leadership positions matter. Flexibility, adaptability, and professionalism have become watchwords for ministerial performance. Clearly, a Prime Minister must choose his Ministers and Deputy Ministers partially on their past performance, but more importantly on how he, she, or they judges they will perform in a crisis. Conclusion Good governance is often taken for granted. It is only when it is needed that it matters. Effective institutions, robust decision-making processes, and competent and compassionate people create effec- tive governance. And they have to be adaptable. In this pandemic, Canadian institutions have displayed some of their weaknesses and inadequacies, but on the whole have performed resiliently. Processes of decision-making have been adapted to improve performance. And the people in the jobs of leadership have largely risen to the challenges. As to institutions, processes, and people, on balance, Canadians have been well served. 29. Not surprisingly, not all public health officers have performed in distinguished fashion. In the cut-and-thrust of immediate policy creation, non-taxed universal payments to seniors embodies unnecessary leakage to those who do not need it.