July 3, 2006 -- The Spring 2006 Session was a very busy one for members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Commons.

This committee’s work is vital to the Canadian people as we seek to keep the Canadian Government accountable. And unfortunately, after thirteen years of waste and mismanagement by the previous Government, there is much that we need to clean up.

The main focus of the Spring Session was to examine several key chapters found within the May 2006 Status Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the House of Commons. The complete Status Report can be found by clicking here.

The committee called many people in as witnesses; Ms. Sheila Fraser, the Auditor General of Canada being the most frequent guest. Other witnesses included Executive Officers, Financial Officers, the Comptroller General of Canada, Deputy Ministers, Assistant Deputy Ministers and various other Government Public Servants and Officials. They were all called to answer questions and provide explanations about the decisions that their respective departments made.

What follows is a brief description of some of the main issues that the committee examined during the Spring Session:

National Defence - Military Recruiting and Retention (Chapter 2): The Canadian military is embarking on a major transformation that includes an increase of 5,000 Regular Force personnel over the next five years. It has identified this expansion as a priority if it is to meet operational demands. The Committee looked at National Defence’s progress since 2002, when the Auditor General first reported shortages in many military occupations and problems recruiting enough people to meet operational demands.

Canadian Firearms Program (Chapter 4): In 1995, Parliament passed the Firearms Act and this new Act established the Canadian Firearms Program. The Program is intended to control acquisition, possession, and ownership of firearms, regulate the availability of certain types of firearms, and to deter the misuse of firearms.

In the 2002 Audit, the Auditor General tabled a report in Parliament on the implementation cost of the Canadian Firearms Program. The Auditor General found that Parliament was not kept informed about the dramatic increase in costs of the Program. Her conclusion was that Parliament was not given sufficient information to effectively scrutinize the Program and ensure accountability.

Management of Programs for First Nations (Chapter 5): This chapter follows up on the Government’s progress in implementing 37 past recommendations made between the years of 2000 and 2003. These chapters covered housing on reserves, economic development, third party intervention, health care, the food mail program, comprehensive land claims, and reporting requirements for First Nations.

Overall, the audit concluded that progress in addressing the 37 recommendations was unsatisfactory. The audit found that progress was satisfactory on 22 of 37 recommendations reviewed, but these tended to be administrative in nature and had less impact on the lives of First Nations’ people. The audit found unsatisfactory progress in several areas including: mould in housing, analyzing patterns of prescription drug use, comprehensive land agreements, eliminating unnecessary reporting, and addressing gaps in the Third Party Manager Policy.

During the investigation into this chapter, attention was focused on asking Departments about both the safe-drinking water issue and the problem of prescription drug use. Government officials from three departments were pressed to make a decision on which department was going to take control over these two serious issues.

Acquisition of Leased Office Space (Chapter 7): Public Works and Government Services Canada manages 6.6 million square metres of rental space and spends $3 billion annually to manage real property. The Department handles some 500 lease transactions a year. It needs complete, accurate, and timely information to support good decision making, strategic management, and risk management.

In 2002, the Auditor General examined the Department’s strategic planning, its management practices, and its analysis of options for providing office space. The committee examined whether or not the Department had fully considered all options when making decisions in order to identify the most cost-effective office accommodation solution in each case.

Canadian Revenue Agency - Collection of Tax Debts (Chapter 8): Managing and collecting tax debt is a complex activity involving more than 4,000 full-time equivalent staff and many more information technology systems. In 2004-05 the Agency collected tax debts of about $9 billion. The committee examined whether or not the Agency uses efficient and timely processes to collect the unpaid personal tax, corporate tax, goods and services tax, and payroll deductions by employers.

As a strong believer in fiscal responsibility, I’m pleased to represent the people of Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale and all Canadians on the Public Accounts Committee. During the Fall Session we will continue to push for accountability and integrity in how your tax dollars are spent.