30 Oct On addressing cabinet ministers – feedback

Bill Turpin, one of the few Nova Scotians who has both edited a daily newspaper editor and worked as a civil servant, disagrees with my criticism of Evan Solomon for addressing cabinet ministers as “Minister.”

The use of “Minister” by bureaucrats is not deferential. It’s good form used for good reason. The term is a reminder to both parties that they are engaged in a special relationship. It reminds the Minister that she is not merely a politician, but also someone whose job is to direct the civil service in the best interests of the people. It reminds bureaucrats their jobs are to provide their best advice on how the elected government can achieve its policy objectives, whether or not it suits the minister politically, and whether or not it suits the civil service. It’s known as speaking truth to power. The principle is highly valued by good civil servants, but it can be hard to live up to. The use of a seemingly archaic form in addressing elected officials makes it easier by establishing the right context before the conversation begins. Being on first-name basis with a minister is great for a bureaucrat’s ego, but that’s all.

For similar reasons, I cringe when I hear journalists addressing cabinet ministers by their first names. Reporters know they should keep a distance between themselves and the people they are covering. This is especially true in a legislature, where they report on the same cast of characters every day and where, in the long run, chummy relations work to the detriment of good reporting. So, a little formality is useful in this situation, too.

Evan Solomon’s got it right.

I have no problem with civil servants addressing cabinet ministers as ‘Minister.” Bill explains the basis for the convention well, and when I do work for a ministry, i adopt the habit myself. But journalists are a different matter. They do not work for ministers, and they should not don the mannerisms of those who do. It sounds obsequious, and obsequiousness is just as dangerous as chumminess. “Mr. Fast” and “Mr. MacKay” convey the appropriate level of formality and distance, without the odor of grovelling.