Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to present the results of our audit on the Governor in Council appointment process. Joining me at the table is Sharon Clark, the principal responsible for the audit.
In May of this year we presented for tabling an audit report that examined the process used for Governor in Council appointments. This recruitment process is separate from the one that the federal public service uses to appoint public servants. Work on this audit was completed in February 2016, and we've not audited actions taken since then.
The focus of this audit was to determine whether departments worked with the Privy Council Office to ensure that timely appointments of qualified individuals were being made to selected administrative tribunals to maintain continuity of service. We also assessed progress on some of the areas for improvement identified in our 2009 audit of the appointment process. These included the guidance provided by the Privy Council Office, the number and length of vacancies, and the notice given to appointees concerning their reappointments.
In the recent audit, we focused on administrative tribunals that have a direct impact on Canadians. We looked at the roles played by the Privy Council Office, by selected administrative tribunals, and by the departments reporting to the ministers responsible for those tribunals. We did not audit the appointment decisions or the roles played by ministers, ministers' offices, or the Office of the Prime Minister.
This audit is important because administrative tribunals regulate specific areas of the law or provide individuals with a way to appeal the government's decisions, such as those on immigration status or first nations claims. Appointments to these tribunals must be timely to ensure that the tribunals can carry out their work. Appointees must also have the right background and experience to carry out their roles effectively.
In our 2009 audit, we found a lack of guidance on the appointment process and lengthy delays in making some appointments to small entities and crown corporations.
We've found that since that audit, the Privy Council Office has issued guidance and information to ministers, departments, and tribunals on vacancies and on steps in the appointment process; however, this guidance was not accessible on the Privy Council Office website. The guidance also didn't address exceptions to the process, such as the appointment of judges to tribunals.
We also found that many key positions weren't filled for long periods. These delays affected decision timelines for tribunals, which in turn affected individual Canadians and other stakeholders. For example, at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, the average time to process immigration appeals grew from 10 months, which we reported in our 2009 audit, to 18 months. Given the importance of the work these tribunals perform, these delays and the resulting backlogs are concerning.
Furthermore, we found that appointees weren't given sufficient notice of decisions on their reappointments. While this notice was more timely than what we reported in our 2009 audit, we found that it still didn't meet the requirement of six months' notice for reappointment of full-time appointees established by the Privy Council Office.
Finally, we found that, while the selection processes for chairs and other full-time appointees were open and transparent, the part-time appointments that we looked at were not. Candidates for part-time positions were not evaluated against established criteria. In our view, without a documented assessment, it is not possible to demonstrate whether the process results in appointees with the necessary expertise and skills. The Privy Council Office has stated that “making qualified appointments is the key to the achievement of the government's objectives and the strengthening of accountability”.
We are pleased to report that the Privy Council Office and the departments and tribunals included in our audit agreed with our recommendations and committed to take corrective action.
Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening remarks. We would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.
Thank you.