According to the traditional bargain, the public service is independent and non-partisan, however; when politicians hire partisan individuals in the public service the public service becomes politicized. For Savoie, the main examples are the affirmative-action-programs in which a candidate will be given priority appointment in the public service after three years of working as a partisan political assistant (Savoie, 2003, p. 222). The politicization of the public service in such manner undermines its independence as the merit principle is not respected and senior levels of the public service becoming political actors rather than administrators. More importantly, Savoie makes it clear that the line that once divided the public service from politics has been crossed as he gives the example of Jean Chretien hiring Alex Himelfarb as the head of the public service who in turn gives a political speech that under the traditional bargain would only be given by politicians (2003, p.
According to the traditional bargain, the public service is independent and non-partisan, however; when politicians hire partisan individuals in the public service the public service becomes politicized. For Savoie, the main examples are the affirmative-action-programs in which a candidate will be given priority appointment in the public service after three years of working as a partisan political assistant (Savoie, 2003, p. 222). The politicization of the public service in such manner undermines its independence as the merit principle is not respected and senior levels of the public service becoming political actors rather than administrators. More importantly, Savoie makes it clear that the line that once divided the public service from politics has been crossed as he gives the example of Jean Chretien hiring Alex Himelfarb as the head of the public service who in turn gives a political speech that under the traditional bargain would only be given by politicians (2003, p.