One major issue that I want to point out following the completion of this audit is the horizontal programs. This program involves 21 federal organizations, including departments, crown corporations and regional development agencies. When you have a program of this magnitude, usually one department is responsible for it. In this case, the department is Infrastructure Canada.
As I said in my message to Parliament in March, we've seen this issue before. We often hear departments say that, when you have a horizontal program, if the lead department doesn't have the necessary authority, it's very difficult to force deputy ministers in other departments to adhere to the objectives and meet all the needs and requirements of a horizontal program. We've seen that in this case. This shows the importance of properly determining an accountability process at the start of a horizontal program, and of ensuring that the lead department has the necessary authority to report comprehensively.