Responses to parliamentary committees and external audits 2014-2015
Responses to parliamentary committees
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) made five appearances before four parliamentary committees in 2014‑15.
On April 3, 2014, ACOA’s Director General of Policy, Mr. Wade AuCoin, appeared before the Standing Committee on Official Languages. Mr. AuCoin provided information on ACOA’s mandate, on the demographics of the Atlantic Canadian francophone population, and on how ACOA and its partner organizations support Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) in Atlantic Canada. Mr. AuCoin spoke about ACOA’s involvement in the Government of Canada's first and second Roadmap for Canada's Official Languages. He provided information about how ACOA works with Community Business Development Corporations throughout the region to support OLMCs in Atlantic Canada. He also explained how ACOA supports various industries that are important to OLMCs in the region. Mr. AuCoin answered questions related to unemployment rates within OLMCs and about the vitality of the francophone populations in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. He noted that ACOA maintains regular communication, interaction and dialogue with a number of francophone organizations in each Atlantic province to identify priorities, visions and potential economic projects.
On April 9, 2014, ACOA’s Vice-President of Policy and Programs, Mr. Daryell Nowlan, appeared before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. Mr. Nowlan provided information about the history and mandate of ACOA. Mr. Nowlan explained that, in the past, the Agency had found that women were underrepresented in terms of self‑employment in the region. Because of this, the Agency targeted funding to projects aimed at reaching out to and engaging female entrepreneurs so that they could receive mentoring, training and access to business advice and capital. He explained that, today, ACOA provides financial support to not-for-profit business organizations across the region that, in turn, provide women entrepreneurs with the resources and training they need to improve the growth and competitiveness of their businesses. In response to questions about the impact of the elimination of the Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC) on women entrepreneurs, Mr. Nowlan reassured the committee members that the types of services provided in the past would be maintained.
On May 6, 2014, ACOA’s Vice-President of Finance and Corporate Services, Ms. Denise Frenette, appeared before the Senate Committee on National Finance to provide a technical briefing on the ACOA initiatives contained in the 2014 Budget Implementation Act, namely the elimination of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Board (ACO Board) and the Agency’s Five-Year Report to Parliament, as well as the elimination of ECBC and the transfer of ECBC’s economic development responsibilities to ACOA. Senators asked about the reasons for the dissolution of the ACO Board and steps the Agency was taking to ensure consultation with communities. Ms. Frenette explained that since the ACO Board was created, ACOA has developed other mechanisms to obtain community feedback, such as regular consultations and meetings with stakeholders.
On May 7, 2014, Ms. Frenette also appeared before the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (INDU) to provide background information about ACOA-related items in the 2014 Budget Implementation Act. Committee members posed a number of questions related to these items, with a particular focus on the elimination of the ACO Board and the dissolution of ECBC. Ms. Frenette indicated that, since the board was created, ACOA has developed other mechanisms to obtain community feedback, such as regular consultations and meetings with stakeholders. Ms. Frenette also noted that merging ECBC with ACOA would mean one consistent suite of economic development programs would be used for all Atlantic provinces.
On February 4, 2015, Ms. Frenette and ACOA Director General of Finance and Administration, Mr. Stéphane Lagacé, appeared before the Senate Committee on National Finance to discuss the Main Estimates of ACOA and of the former ECBC. Ms. Frenette provided an overview of ACOA’s mandate and programs, making note of the positive impact of the Agency’s programming on Atlantic Canada’s gross domestic product. Ms. Frenette explained that ECBC was dissolved in 2014, with its responsibilities and assets subsequently divided between ACOA and Public Works and Government Services Canada. In response to a question from a committee member, Ms. Frenette outlined how ACOA put in place an Atlantic Shipbuilding Action Plan focused on informing Atlantic SMEs on how they can take advantage of the opportunities flowing from the $38.6 billion National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.
There were no recommendations following any of these appearances.
Responses to the Auditor General
(including the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)
There were no recommendations from the Auditor General during fiscal year 2014‑15 and no responses from the Agency were needed.
Response to external audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Canadian Human Rights Commission Audit: Employment Equity Status Report
The Agency was part of a Canadian Human Rights Commission audit in 2014 (September 16, 2014). The Agency was asked to provide its representation of designated group members as the first step in the Employment Equity audit process to assess the extent of compliance to the Employment Equity Act and the employment equity regulations. The result of this initial analysis concluded that ACOA’s overall representation for all designated groups was above the labour market availability estimates and that the Agency, therefore, was not required to be part of a full compliance assessment audit, which is based upon the nine main legal requirements of the Employment Equity Act.
There were no recommendations following this report.
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages Report Card
The Agency is currently awaiting the results of the report card exercise conducted by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) in 2014 (July 11, 2014). The results will be part of the OCOL’s 2015‑16 annual report, which will be published on the commissioner’s website in 2016.