Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to address the House as we resume debate on Motion 166.
This motion was introduced by the member for St. Albert. As the House will recall the proposed motion calls for an amendment to the Financial Administration Act. This amendment would require all departments and agencies to present to the House action plans.
These action plans would set out planned activities and timeframes for acting on corrective actions required by the auditor general's reports.
We have had time since the debate began in March to consider what was said. Today it is important that we recognize that the member for St. Albert, the mover of this motion, put it forward in the pursuit of good governance. It is the spirit of this motion which I applaud. It is something on which we all agree.
The pursuit of good governance and accountability were substantive themes. They are the reasons why we have to make certain that all dollars are spent properly. I say substantively because it is easy to sidetrack certain things, look at debates in the House, finger point and so on. However, when I see an honest and open debate on issues as important as getting government right it makes me proud as a Canadian to serve this House, proud to serve people.
Today we have the opportunity to continue the debate and refocus our thoughts on this motion. I would like to pick up on some of the points that were raised on March 21 when it was last discussed and refocus the discussion on what we are really talking about: accountability and good government.
Sometimes it is easy to forget all of the key checkpoints in our loop as we currently have it existing. I will try to revisit some of the elements of this circle while we consider this motion.
The auditor general is an officer of Parliament. He is not a civil servant. He does not work for the government. The auditor general's job is to call attention to anything that he considers to be of significance about the workings of the government. He provides us with an independent assessment of how things are working. He takes his job very seriously. The auditor general is committed to making a difference for the Canadian people by promoting in all his work for Parliament, answerable, honest and productive government.
As members will recall, the auditor general has tabled three reports this year. In total, he audits about 200 organizations each year. In his part III of the estimates, he points out that he audits departments and agencies, crown corporations and other organizations from large ones such as the Governments of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories to small organizations such as the Army Benevolent Fund. Canadian taxpayers collectively pay about $50 million each year for this service.
With each report, members of this House, the media and citizens alike focus their attention on the performance of the government. They listen to the auditor general. They question the government and, as a consequence, the government is highly motivated to respond to the concerns raised in each of the reports. There exists, as a fellow member aptly described it, a circle of accountability.
Each department and agency has the opportunity to respond to the comments made by the auditor general directly in the published report. This is the first opportunity the government has to indicate what it will do to respond to the auditor general's concerns and findings.
Daily question period provides an opportunity for members to question ministers further about the operations of government. As members will have noted from May 7 when the auditor general tabled his latest report, question period can become an important forum for challenging the government on the points raised through the auditor general's reports. Canadians, through their representatives, call government to account for its activities and can and do ask what will be done to remedy any shortcomings.
The auditor general follows up every two years on his recommendations. He measures the progress that the government has made in responding to his concerns. He reports his findings in his annual report. This reflects the diligence of his office.
During our debate of March 21, one of the members suggested that Motion 166 would legitimize the auditor general's work. The work of the auditor general is valuable in every respect and is very much respected in this House. I cannot imagine why a member felt that the reports of the auditor general somehow needed to be legitimized. I am sure that the member was not suggesting that we collectively pay $50 million for something that requires a motion like this to legitimize its existence. The auditor general has the full confidence of Canadians. His reports do not need to be legitimized.
In his part III of the estimates, the auditor general noted that he had followed up 572 of his 786 recommendations made between 1989 and 1993. His review indicated that 23 per cent of his recommendations had been fully implemented, and that satisfactory progress was being made on an additional 41 per cent of the cases. Keeping in mind that a number of recommendations were rendered no longer relevant, these findings mean that a significant percentage of the auditor general's work is acted on in a significant, timely, satisfactory manner.
As a member said, it is important that we have some production out of criticism. I think the numbers more than adequately speak for themselves. The numbers are a testament to the legitimacy of the auditor general. They are also a testament to the effort that the department and agencies put into ensuring problems pointed out by the auditor general are properly addressed.
The number of recommendations implemented is not a sufficient indicator of the success of this office. One must look at the individual success stories. The auditor general can and does in part III of the estimates offer plenty of examples to show how government has successfully acted to follow up on opportunities he has identified for improvement.
One of the auditor general's priority areas in recent years has been revenue collection. In his 1996-97 part III of the estimates, he outlines several areas where Revenue Canada was responsible and responded well to his suggestions. This is one of many examples.
As the member for St. Albert, the mover of this motion, can attest, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts also plays a key role in the circle of accountability. The committee is chaired by a member of the official opposition. One of its more important jobs is to review the findings of the auditor general's report with departmental officials. I would like to publicly commend the efforts of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
As the mover of this motion can attest, it is a very busy team. As a result of the hearings, I believe the committee presented to the House 15 reports in 1995. Each report, based on the findings of the auditor general, called for and received a formal response from the government. Follow-up as careful and extensive as this should not be underestimated.
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts does not have the time to call all departments and agencies mentioned in the auditor general's reports. This does not mean we let the departments off the hook. Each summer the committee contacts each and every department that was not called to testify and requests an update on actions taken. If it not satisfied with the progress achieved, the committee may call the department at a later date.
I hope I have provided an adequate snapshot of the explicit points in the current circle of accountability as it relates to auditor general's reports. The circle exists. It is well defined and working well.
We must ask ourselves how much value this motion is to the circle. Will the proposed legislation simply be adding further process, which is something we must avoid? This is where I would like to pick up on the other theme that ran through our last debate on this motion, the pursuit of good government.
On March 7 the government released its progress report-