A Message from the Auditor General of Canada, 2007 Status Report of the Auditor General
Ottawa, 13 February 2007—Government departments and agencies have made satisfactory progress in addressing recommendations from previous reports in five areas audited, says the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, in her Status Report tabled today in the House of Commons.
"Status Reports are particularly important because they show what has been done to address recommendations from a selection of our past audits," said Ms. Fraser. "I am very pleased to see that our work made a difference. Credit is due to the many public servants who have worked hard on resolving these matters."
The 2007 Status Report shows that departments and agencies have made satisfactory progress in the areas of managing advertising and public opinion research, federal built heritage, leading-edge research, passport services, and international taxation.
However, progress in implementing recommendations from previous reports has been unsatisfactory in two areas: the management of the Coast Guard's fleet and marine navigational services, and the management of the social Insurance Number. In those two areas, problems are long-standing.
The names of the chapters in the Status Report and the titles of the news releases are as follows:
Chapter 1. Advertising and Public Opinion Research,
"Government made significant progress in managing its advertising activities"
Chapter 2. The Conservation of Federal Built Heritage,
"Parks Canada has improved its management of heritage sites and buildings"
Chapter 3. Management of Leading-Edge Research—National Research Council Canada,
"National Research Council is making progress on Auditor General's recommendations"
Chapter 4. Managing the Coast Guard Fleet and Marine Navigational Services—Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
"Coast Guard has been slow to resolve longstanding issues"
Chapter 5. Passport Services—Passport Canada,
"Satisfactory progress made through focused efforts that need to be sustained"
Chapter 6. The Management of the Social Insurance Number—Human Resources and Social Development Canada,
"Important and long-standing weaknesses remain"
Chapter 7. International Taxation—Canada Revenue Agency,
"Canada Revenue Agency has taken important steps to improve international taxation activities"
The Auditor General's Status Report, first released in 2002, is one of the reports from the Office of the Auditor General tabled each year in the House of Commons. It follows up on the government's progress in addressing recommendations from previous reports. The Auditor General concludes that progress is either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, taking into account the complexity of the issue and the amount of time that has passed since the original audit.
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The Auditor General's 2007 Status Report and news releases that summarize the findings of each chapter are available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada Web site.
Information:
Margot Booth or Isabelle Serrurier
Tel.: (613) 952-0213, ext. 6292
E-mail: communications@oag-bvg.gc.ca
