Response to parliamentary committees and external audits

Response to the twentieth report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled Public Accounts of Canada 2021

The committee studied the Public Accounts of Canada 2021 and “commends the Government of Canada for maintaining the integrity of its financial controls and reporting, which resulted in a twenty-third consecutive unmodified audit opinion from the Auditor General of Canada.”

The committee made three recommendations that implicated TBS:

• Recommendation 1
  

  If a decision has been made to revise the Public Accounts of Canada after they have been audited and signed-off for the fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury Board, the Comptroller General of Canada, and the Auditor General of Canada appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts to discuss the situation.

• Recommendation 2
  

  That the Government of Canada amend the Financial Administration Act to change the deadline for the tabling of the Public Accounts of Canada from December 31st to October 15th, to align with the tabling date of some Canadian provinces and peers in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

• Recommendation 3
  

  That the Government of Canada consider requiring Crown corporations to divulge all expenditures in the same manner as federal departments and agencies in Volume III of the Public Accounts of Canada; consult with interested stakeholders on the ways this could be achieved, the advantages it would provide and the potential additional administrative burden this could cause; and that it provide the Committee with a report comprising of a comprehensive analysis of this matter, no later than 30 April 2023.

In its response, the government committed to conducting consultations and reporting back to the committee by December 31, 2023.

Response to the seventh report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, entitled Device Investigative Tools Used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Related Issues

The committee studied the benefits and risks of the use of on-device investigative tools and the use of such tools by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). It also examined legislative and non-legislative measures that could be considered to better regulate these types of tools in Canada.

Based on the evidence heard and the briefs received, the committee made recommendations to reassure Canadians that, when new technology is used by law enforcement agencies, Canadian laws take into account not only the challenges these agencies face in performing their duties, but also the right to privacy and the importance of maintaining, in a democratic society, the public’s confidence in the institutions charged with protecting them.

The Government of Canada’s response was the product of a collaborative effort among implicated government institutions and their agencies: the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat; the Department of Justice Canada; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; Public Safety Canada and the RCMP; Global Affairs Canada; and the Privy Council Office. Among other things, the response noted that the government is actively working on modernizing the Privacy Act, including considering proposals that would address concerns identified in the report.

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 7, Cybersecurity of Personal Information in the Cloud, 2022 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

This audit focused on whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), Shared Services Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Communications Security Establishment Canada, and selected federal departments had adequate, effective governance, guidance, and tools in place to prevent, detect, and respond to cybersecurity events that could compromise Canadians’ personal information in the cloud.

TBS was implicated in four recommendations. In its response, TBS agreed with the recommendations. Additional details are found in the list of recommendations and responses in the report.

Report 2, Greening Government Strategy, 2022 Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

This audit focused on whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat led the Greening Government Strategy in a manner that supported the federal government’s progress toward reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. It also focused on whether National Defence and Transport Canada reported results that were supported by the implementation of internal controls and took appropriate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their areas of responsibility.

TBS was implicated in five recommendations. In its response, TBS agreed with four of the recommendations and partially agreed with the fifth recommendation. Additional details are found in the list of recommendations and responses in the report.

Report 3, Follow-up on Gender-Based Analysis Plus, 2022 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

This audit focused on whether the Privy Council Office, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and Women and Gender Equality Canada advanced the implementation of gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) in government in their responses to selected recommendations from the 2015 Fall Reports of the Auditor General of Canada, Report 1, Implementing Gender-Based Analysis.

TBS was implicated in five recommendations. In its response, TBS agreed with the recommendations. Additional details are found in the list of recommendations and responses 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 2022–23 requiring a response.