In Canada, the concept of monitoring andevaluation (M&E) is interpreted such that evaluation hasa distinct identity from monitoring. The Canadian M&Esystem is one that has invested heavily in both evaluationand performance monitoring as key tools to supportaccountability and results-based management. Section two ofthe paper traces the evolution of the formalized use ofM&E in Canada's public sector from its origins inthe 1960s to the present day. Section three outlines theorganization of M&E, identifying the key players at agovernment-wide level, as well as M&E organizationwithin an individual government department. Section fourhighlights the key features that define the Canadian M&Esystem, characterizing the system on the basis of eightdistinguishing elements. Section 5 provides information onthe ways that M&E information has been used in theCanadian public sector, including recent efforts tostrengthen the link to decision-making. Lessons learned fromthe Canadian experience with public sector M&E aresummarized in section six under three broad categories:lessons regarding drivers for M&E; lessons pertaining tothe implementation of the M&E system and; key elementsassociated with M&E capacity building.