The framework that exists has been in place since 1998. It's a good one. It could be updated, but I think they have the framework there and they know best management practices. The problem is when they start these projects and don't apply them. It's the same thing. We don't need more rules and regulations, we just have to use and apply what is in place.
One particular issue--there's obviously the capacity of human resource issues--is that the whole business plan at the very beginning is really critical. If you don't have a good business plan, your risks of not succeeding go up significantly. With some of these very large projects we looked at, there were no complete business plans, even though the government asked for them four and five times. Funding was given on a temporary basis, it would continue, and they had been asked for a plan. It's as if you get into these things and they take on a life of their own.
I think there really needs to be more rigour. That's why we would have liked to have seen the analysis by the Treasury Board Secretariat, because it plays that challenge role. That might be something the committee would want to look at: how it is going to ensure there are good business plans. I should add, too, that you might want to question them, because some of the projects where we found weaknesses were actually Treasury Board Secretariat projects. It has to ensure that it applies this framework to its own projects, as well as requiring it from others.