Public Accounts Committee on May 16th, 2007

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Just following up on the performance reports, I think we all have to recognize that we have a professional bureaucracy that takes a huge amount of pride in operating their departments and so on and so forth. I think that's important. I don't think we should be spending all our time at public accounts bashing everybody who works for the Government of Canada.

Going back to the issue of performance reports--and possibly we could do better at the public accounts committee, I agree with you on that--the reports still go to PCO. They may not be out there bragging about things that weren't 100%, but it doesn't simply fall within their department. PCO has a role to play, as do others who are overseeing the work done in various departments and by various ministers.

I would expect, and I want your comment back, that it may not come to public accounts and a group of politicians, but certainly those performance reports are reviewed internally a fair amount, I would think.

[Sheila Fraser]

Yes. They are principally reviewed by the Treasury Board Secretariat. The secretariat kind of manages the process, sets out the form of the reports, the kinds of information that should be provided, and makes sure there's a consistency through the reports. The analysts there, I presume, would review them and challenge them as well.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

So are you suggesting that the performance reports should also come before the public accounts committee?

[Sheila Fraser]

I think it's up to the committee to decide how they would want to do that. I mean, one expectation would be that a lot of these performance reports should go to the other standing committees when they're reviewing the estimates of these departments, and that there should be a discussion around them at that time. The public accounts committee could perhaps review more the overall quality and perhaps a sample of them.

Again, it has to be how the committee would like to approach this. We would certainly be glad to work with you on that.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

I think their concerns would be whether or not they get a fair hearing before committees made up of elected officials who don't always have a full appreciation for the various roles in these various departments. In a very limited amount of time, we get only a snapshot of what goes on, and that's not always fair to them either.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

Thank you very much, Ms. Sgro.

That, colleagues, concludes the questioning.

I want to thank Ms. Fraser and her colleagues for coming.

Do you have any closing remarks, Ms. Fraser?

[Sheila Fraser]

Through you, Mr. Chair, to the committee, I'd really like to thank you for your interest in our work and for your support over the years. It's very much appreciated by everyone in the office.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

According to the procedures of the House, we should report this to the House.

The motion I'm going to invite the committee to consider is shall vote 15, less $17,860,250 granted in interim supply, carry?

Is someone prepared to make that motion?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

I so move.

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

Thank you.

FINANCE

Auditor General

Vote 15—Program expenditures..........$71,441,000

(Vote 15 agreed to)

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

As the second part of the motion, shall I report the main estimates to the House?

This is moved by Ms. Sgro.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

I want to thank everyone for coming. We're now going to suspend for a couple of minutes. We're going to resume in camera to study reports.

[Proceedings continue in camera]