Public Accounts Committee on Oct. 5th, 2010

[The Chair, Liberal, Joe Volpe]

Thank you, Mr. Dreeshen.

We're about at the end here, and Madame Faille wanted to ask one question before we carry on.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

In fact, I was actually short of time earlier, and the witnesses from the various departments did not have an opportunity to answer a number of my questions. I would therefore ask that they submit a written response to the committee.

Now I would like to ask another question during this round. Ms. Fraser, you found that INAC's economic development programs did not contain clear objectives, that the department was not monitoring the outcomes of those programs and was not assessing the data submitted by funding recipients.

Mr. Wernick, you talked earlier about an interdepartmental coordination committee. I would like you to submit in writing the date of the last meeting and the frequency at which the coordination committee meets.

I also noted that you implemented systems to produce management reports. What data do you feed into those systems? I would like you to submit to us in writing the title of the reports, how often they are produced and to whom they are distributed.

I know that you also produce internal audit reports. I would appreciate it if you could submit to us your department's internal audit reports concerning the programs that have been assessed as part of the Auditor General's report.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joe Volpe]

Madam Fraser, Mr. Wernick, how about I give you about a minute apiece if you want? Otherwise, as Madame Faille suggested earlier on, perhaps anyone who feels they have additional information they would have liked to share with us would please submit it to us in writing and we'll distribute it.

Mr. Wernick.

[Michael Wernick]

That's our normal practice with this committee, Mr. Chair. I'd be happy, on behalf of my other accounting officers, to take the pen on a letter to you answering the questions. We'll sit down with the clerk and work out the specifics.

I would want to say in two seconds that all of our internal audit reports and evaluations are on the department's Internet site. They're there, as are the management plans and the follow-up responses. But if there's a specific one you're interested in, we'd certainly provide paper copies to the committee.

I'm only sorry we didn't get a chance to talk about the exciting opportunities of satellites to do monitoring, but perhaps that's for another day.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joe Volpe]

We'll give you an opportunity on another day, Mr. Wernick.

Just in closing, I suppose one of the things that's coming up through all of this--I think you twigged to it first of all--is something I think Madam Fraser always refers to, and that is overlapping of jurisdictions. You raised the issue, and I asked who had jurisdiction. It appears you do, which leaves the question about why we would need a separate agency to do what you're going to be doing.

But primarily for Mr. Shugart, although you're the one who raised the issue of the amounts of money that are put in HRSDC for development with aboriginal communities, it's nice to have the number $1.6 billion over a five-year period and an additional $100 million for ASEP, aboriginal skills and employment partnership, but you didn't give us an indication how much of that was dedicated to northern development or to aboriginals in northern communities. I think it would be a little more instructive for us to have a better picture of that, and I'm wondering whether, when you're submitting your written response to us to those other three questions, you'd include that.

[Michael Wernick]

We'd be happy to do that. The theory is that INAC is the front-counter delivery agency for many of our programs, including Mr. Shugart's. We'll be happy to clarify that in the letter.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joe Volpe]

Very good. I thank you very much.

We're almost at the very end. I want to ask committee members to stay behind for a couple of minutes more just to clarify a couple of business things.

I want to thank each and every one of the witnesses for the time they've given us. It's been good and useful. I didn't mean to generate controversy between the department and the Auditor General, but I'm sure they're used to that anyway, right? Thank you very much.

I'll take 30 seconds, and then we'll go on to business.

First of all, there is the issue of what we're going to do because our meetings go over the luncheon period. I think today was a little bit of an oversight. The clerk already has your wishes well in hand. There will be light lunches served from here on in at those meetings.

Second, the steering committee is going to meet tomorrow at one o'clock. I think the clerk will notify each of the members on the steering committee. There will be an agenda for that steering committee.

For Thursday, we're going to carry on and we're going to try to wrap up some of the issues that you as a committee had given an indication you wanted to deal with. I thought it might be well worth our while to continue with the agenda that had been established, subject, of course, to the availability of the witnesses. I understand there are still a couple that have to be confirmed. The reason I wanted to fill that out is that, as we all know, the Auditor General is coming in with a new report on the 26th, and I think it would be more than appropriate for us to get a current....

There are five draft reports that we still haven't dealt with, so I'm hoping that on Wednesday the steering committee will discuss how we are going to deal with those. It will all be on chapter 5.

Is there anything else?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

I have an administrative matter. For quite a number of the coming weeks I have other responsibilities on the procedure and House affairs committee, so Malcolm Allen, the member for Welland, will be filling in during my absences. So for the next while I'll probably be away more than I'm here, but Mr. Allen will be here.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joe Volpe]

Will he be at the steering committee on your behalf?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

No, I'll still attend the steering committees.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joe Volpe]

Okay, no problem.

Any other comments? Everything good?

Thanks a lot.

I'm sorry that your sugar intake was a little low this morning. We'll try to overload you next week.

The meeting is adjourned.