Response to Parliamentary committees and external audits – Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, 2019–20 Departmental Results Report

Response to parliamentary committees

Fifteenth Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, entitled Impacts of Canada’s Regulatory Structure on Small Business: Between Protection and Competition

The committee studied the impacts of Canada’s regulatory structure on small business to identify areas for legislative and regulatory modernization and improved international cooperation. The goal was to identify areas for improved efficiency to reduce costs to regulated parties, support international alignment and trade, and create flexible pathways for innovative products and processes to come to market while protecting the health and safety of Canadians.

The committee made 11 recommendations to reduce the regulatory burden in Canada and support a culture change in regulatory bodies.

The government accepted all of the committee’s recommendations. In its response, the government highlighted how the recommendations aligned with many ongoing and planned initiatives. The government committed to taking proactive steps to address the various challenges facing small businesses and to fostering a business climate where they can launch, thrive, and innovate.

Sixteenth Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, entitled Improving Transparency and Parliamentary Oversight of the Government’s Spending Plans

The committee examined the parliamentary financial cycle and the estimates process, as well as the alignment of the main estimates with the federal budget and the temporary changes made to achieve this alignment. It also reviewed the accounting methods used in the main fiscal documents, the results of a pilot project on a purpose-based vote structure, and the departmental results framework. The committee made 12 recommendations, 6 of which were directed to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

In its response, the government expressed general support for the spirit of the committee’s recommendations to improve the clarity and transparency of the Estimates. It committed to providing better information to Parliament to help it play a meaningful role in studying Estimates, including through providing more detailed information on the purpose of planned spending in the Main and Supplementary Estimates, Departmental Plans and the GC InfoBase.

Eighty-Eighth Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, entitled Question of Privilege Related to the Matter of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Publications Respecting Bill C-71, An Act to Amend Certain Acts and Regulations in Relation to Firearms

The committee examined a question of privilege raised by Glen Motz (Medicine Hat–Cardston–Warner) concerning information he found on the RCMP website that he alleged led the public to believe that Bill C-71 had already been enacted by Parliament, even though the bill was still before Parliament and subject to its approval. On balance, the committee did not find that a contempt of Parliament had taken place but recommended that federal government departments and agencies consider indicating the status of the legislation for communications products dealing with legislation before Parliament.

In its response, the government committed to reinforcing with departments and agencies that government communications must be timely, clear, objective, factual, accurate, non-partisan and written in plain language, with particular emphasis on communicating about legislation, and providing clear and accurate depictions of the status of legislation that has not received royal assent.

Fifty-Seventh Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled Public Accounts of Canada 2018

The committee studied the Public Accounts of Canada 2018. It made two recommendations:

1. that all federal government information technology transformation projects have independent external oversight and that senior management in the departments concerned take into account the potential problems identified by all participants in these projects
2. that the federal government consider including all statutory expenditures in the total statutory expenditures in the Main Estimates

In its response, the government agreed with the principle of the committee’s recommendations and pointed to several improvements made to support independent oversight of digital transformation projects and parliamentary oversight of government spending.

Response to audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (including audits conducted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

Report 1, Call Centres, 2019 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

The audit examined whether Employment and Social Development Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and Veterans Affairs Canada provided clients with accessible and timely call centre services, and whether these departments reported on their call centre performance in a way that was relevant to clients, was transparent and consistent, and was verified to confirm accuracy. The audit also focused on whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Shared Services Canada provided a strategy and support to enable these services.

TBS received two recommendations. TBS’s responses to the recommendations can be found in the list of recommendations in the report.

Report 4, Oversight of Government of Canada Advertising, 2019 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

The audit examined whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Public Services and Procurement Canada provided adequate oversight to ensure that the Government of Canada was meeting its commitment to non-partisan advertising. Specifically, the audit examined whether the review processes were adequately designed, implemented, operated, and monitored to meet the government’s own requirements.

TBS received five recommendations. TBS’s responses to the recommendations can be found in the list of recommendations in the report.

Response to audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

There were no audits in 2019–20 requiring a response.