Ottawa, 12 January 2009-The December 2008 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, and Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Scott Vaughan, will be tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday, 5 February 2009.
Media lock-up:
9:00 a.m.-1:45 p.m. (ET)
Main Hall, Government Conference Centre, 2 Rideau Street, Ottawa
(for journalists accredited by the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery only).
Journalists must respect the media embargo until the Reports are tabled in the House of Commons shortly after 2:00 p.m. However, they will be allowed to leave the media lock-up at 1:45 p.m.
News conference:
12:30 p.m.-1:15 p.m. (ET) under lock-up conditions. Broadcast journalists may tape the news conference but no live broadcasts will be permitted.
Interviews:
The Auditor General and the Commissioner will be available for interviews after 3:30 p.m. To book an interview, please call (613) 952-0213 ext. 6292.
The December 2008 Auditor General's Report contains the following chapters:
Chapter 1-A Study of Federal Transfers to Provinces and Territories-The study examined the three main mechanisms used by the federal government to transfer funds to the provinces and territories. It also looked at the nature and extent of conditions attached to these transfers. The study did not examine funding arrangements with First Nations, payments to foundations or municipal governments, or transfer payments to individual Canadians.
Chapter 2-Governance of Small Federal Entities-The audit examined elements of the federal government's regime of governance for small entities-the arrangements by which central agencies of government oversee the management of these entities (considered in this audit to be federal organizations with fewer than 500 employees or annual approved expenditures less than $300 million). Specifically, the audit examined oversight and coordination, reporting requirements, and shared services. Audit work was carried out in the Privy Council Office, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and the Canada Public Service Agency; in three federal departments with a large number of small entities in their portfolios; and in six small entities.
Chapter 3-Contracting for Professional Services-Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)-The audit examined PWGSC's awarding of contracts for professional services to help deliver its departmental programs. It also examined how such contracts are managed after they are awarded. In addition, the audit looked at the Department's management controls and monitoring practices with respect to contracts for professional services.
Chapter 4-Managing Risks to Canada's Plant Resources-Canadian Food Inspection Agency-The audit examined whether the Agency adequately manages the risk that invasive alien plants, seeds, plant pests, and plant diseases could enter or become established in Canada. It looked at how the Agency sets and administers standards, conducts pest surveys and plant health risk assessments, and verifies that imports of plants and plant products meet Canadian requirements.
Chapter 5-Managing Information Technology Investments-Canada Revenue Agency-The audit examined the Agency's systems and practices for managing its investments in information technology (IT). It looked at the management framework for IT investments, including the processes for deciding which individual IT-enabled projects to invest in and for monitoring progress to ensure that the investments continue to support the Agency's objectives. The audit also looked at four key aspects of project management for eight IT projects.
Chapter 6-Use of New Human Resource Authorities-Canada Revenue Agency-In 1999 Parliament empowered the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (now the Canada Revenue Agency) to design its own human resource management framework and systems. The audit examined how the Agency has used its authorities in the areas of staffing, classification, compensation, and labour relations. It also examined whether the Agency can demonstrate that its management of human resources is more efficient and that it is effective and responsive to its business needs.
Chapter 7-Economy and Efficiency of Services-Correctional Service Canada (CSC)-The audit examined whether CSC pays sufficient attention to economy and efficiency in providing security services and its procurement of goods. We examined whether CSC obtains food, clothing, and cleaning products for federal correctional institutions at an appropriate cost and whether related services are delivered efficiently. The audit also looked at security services, in particular at whether CSC efficiently manages the deployment of correctional officers in its institutions and its use of overtime.
Chapter 8-Reporting on Health Indicators-Health Canada-The audit examined to what extent Healthy Canadians, a biennial federal report on health indicators produced by Health Canada, meets the Department's obligations under federal commitments made in First Ministers' health agreements in 2000, 2003, and 2004. The commitments called for reporting to Canadians on a number of health indicators (wait times for health services, for example) that could be compared across jurisdictions and over time to measure progress in health care renewal. The audit also looked at whether Health Canada's reporting has improved over time.
The December 2008 Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development's Report contains the following chapters:
Chapter 1-Managing Air Emissions-The audit looked at examples of four types of tools used by the federal government to manage and control air emissions: pollution prevention plans, regulations, economic measures, and voluntary agreements with industry. The audit examined whether the government knows what results the tools have achieved or are expected to achieve.
Chapter 2-Managing Severe Weather Warnings-The audit examined Environment Canada's systems and procedures to support the delivery of severe weather warnings to Canadians. It looked at the Department's management of its weather observation network, the implementation of a new advanced forecaster workstation called NinJo, and the delivery and verification of severe weather warnings. The audit also examined the planning process that supports the delivery of severe weather warnings.
Chapter 3-Managing Environmental Programming-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-The audit examined whether the Department has managed its environmental programming under the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) appropriately to achieve its objectives for environmentally sustainable agriculture. (The APF is a federal-provincial-territorial agreement that came into effect in 2003 to create a national approach to agriculture.) The audit also looked at the Department's reporting on the performance of its environmental programs under the APF and at the development of the National Land and Water Information Service, a major information technology project that is critical to supporting the APF environmental programs. In addition, the audit looked at whether the Department used the lessons learned from the Agricultural Policy Framework in developing Growing Forward, which will replace the APF.
Chapter 4-Annual Report on Sustainable Development Strategies-The audit examined the implementation of one commitment each from the 2007–2009 sustainable development strategies of 11 federal organizations. Given the Commissioner's negative findings regarding the quality and significance of sustainable development strategy commitments over the past decade, and pending a review by the government of its approach to and use of the strategies, additional work was not carried out to determine whether the commitments audited this year were based on an examination of good practices elsewhere or on an assessment of the social, economic, and environmental impact of each department's key policies and programs.
Chapter 5-Annual Report on Environmental Petitions-The chapter contains the Commissioner's report, required annually under the Auditor General Act, on the quantity, nature, and status of petitions received this year and on the timeliness of ministers' responses to the petitioners.
These reports, along with news releases for each chapter, will be available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada Web site immediately following tabling.
The Auditor General conducts independent audits and examinations that provide objective information, advice, and assurance to Parliament. The Office normally reports to Parliament up to four times a year.
The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, who reports to the Auditor General, is responsible for monitoring sustainable development strategies, overseeing the environmental petitions process, and auditing environmental and sustainable development issues.
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