Further to Mr. Bains' question, could you provide us in writing with the cost of auditing these 22 departments on a yearly basis?
My questions will pertain to Ms. d'Auray's remarks. You state on page 1 of your submission that in 2007 and in subsequent years, the Auditor General has identified a number of challenges, such as lack of documentation to support controls for key processes, lack of action plans, and challenges with information technology and systems owing to manual transfers and adjustments.
Mr. Ralston, when we examined the last Public Accounts, you told us that information was received or changes made often two or three months after the books are closed. It is perfectly normal for you to want to try and provide better information and improve controls.
Ms. d'Auray, you go on to say that you are pursuing your objective to develop new financial management policies. I know you addressed the subject broadly in your recent appearances before the committee. However, you conclude by saying that you have adopted a different approach in order to deal with fundamental issues, in connection with your audit activities, I trust.
In your opinion, which three largest departments are the biggest spenders and how will the new policies and audit processes that you have adopted help these departments strengthen their internal controls?
I would also like you to give us an estimate of the costs associated with adopting and implementing this new approach.
I 'd also like to know why you haven't said anything to us before about this new initiative which involves having various departments post their statements on the Internet, all on the same website, as I understand it.
Can you also tell us if these types of reports will provide us with any new information? The committee was critical of the fact that these reports were essentially a pitch by the departments designed to show that they were performing well. However, these reports do not contain any information about the challenges that the departments are facing. Internal audits were the only indicator that we had that the department was using more objective methodology in accordance with the Financial Administration Act, contractual obligations and so forth.
If we're really seeing something new here, I'd like to know how this approach will help departments improve their follow-up processes. And from Treasury Board's perspective, I want to know how you stand to benefit from this change.