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Exploring the Role of Government Watchdogs in Canada and Its Influence on Society, Economics, and Politics

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Exploring The Role Of Government Watchdogs In Canada And Its Influence On Society, Economics, And Politics

Introduction In our increasingly neoliberalized and privatized society, the concept of governance and ethical conduct has been falling from the grips of public dialogue and discussion. Self-regulation has become a “mantra for both governments and private industry in the neoliberal era (Burch et al., 2013, p. 259). Given the onset of recent environmental disasters related to the oil and gas industry, the oligarchic telecommunications industry, and our crippling health care system, the role for government watchdogs becomes ever more so important. Thus for any type of change to occur, effective governance is important as it must also progress with any changes in society (Marin, 2009). For this to occur, this requires an ombudsman - also known as a watchdog, or adjudicator who has the “power to set standards and apply sanctions” (Burch et al., 2013, p. 259). The ombudsman or watchdog acts as a “moral compass and societal conscience,” making it even more relevant in today’s 21st century (Marin, 2009). However, in the event that the ombudsman/watchdog model is unable to help with any type of meaningful reform or provide justice, it starts to experience public criticism. Therefore, the focus of this paper will be to explore the role of government watchdogs in Canada and their decreasing influence on public and private sector institutions. In doing so, it will be understood how we must create a balanced system of government- and self-regulation, and in turn allow a greater path towards having independent bodies, or watchdogs handling disputes.
Discussion and Arguments As mentioned, an ombudsman or watchdog acts as the moral compass or guide in our society. The initial concept of the ombudsman was created to combat self-regulation. The Parliament of

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