Unequal by Design: Ministerial Policy Roles in the Canadian Executive, 2015‐2021

Abstract Cabinet ministers are formally equal but unequal in practice: for example, ministers may differ significantly in how they undertake policy activity. I use federal mandate letter data from 2015 to 2021 to explore variation in and correlates of ministerial policy activity. Both issue salience and portfolio prestige are strong, positive correlates of active policy work: more salient and prestigious portfolios are more likely to initiate new policy and supplement existing policy, and less likely to maintain policy status quos. Ministers' legislative and cabinet experience also matter, but in contrasting ways. Gender is not a significant correlate of policy activity.