Millions for Loblaws Fridges but no Money for Auditor General's Office

Mowich

Hall of Fame Member
Dec 25, 2005
16,649
998
113
74
Eagle Creek
'Not acceptable': Audits of federal government's performance cancelled due to insufficient funding, AG tells committee

OTTAWA — The office of the auditor general, stretched thin by additional oversight of such new Liberal government entities as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and the Canada Infrastructure Bank, has had to drop some of its other audits.

“Although the 2018 federal budget provided us with some new ongoing funding, we did not get any of the new funding that we requested in the 2019 federal budget,” interim Auditor General Sylvain Ricard told a House of Commons committee. “We are continuing to explore our options to ensure that we are properly funded and accountable only to Parliament. In the near term, we have no choice but to decrease the number of performance audits that we conduct.” Outgoing auditor general Michael Ferguson had requested $10.8 million in additional funding last year so his office could accommodate an expanding mandate. But with no new money on offer in 2019, the office had to drop five audits of the government’s performance, including on cyber crime and Arctic sovereignty.

“At the risk of putting words in Mr. Ferguson’s mouth, I can tell you that had we received the $10.8 million that he requested last summer, our office would have considered ourselves to have been properly funded. We would have been able to do the work that was expected,” said Andrew Hayes, the deputy auditor general. Planned spending for the current financial year is $93.8 million, an amount that has not risen in proportion with total government spending. The news that the oversight body had to cancel some of its work caused some consternation on the committee. David Christopherson, a veteran NDP MP, said he had never before heard an auditor general tell a parliamentary committee that the office was unable to fulfil its mandate.

“In the past when there was reduction, the AG testified to us that they could manage it within their budget and it wouldn’t affect the work that they wanted to do and felt needed to be done. The difference now is the AG is being very clear,” said Christopherson. “They are being impeded in carrying out what they want to do and feel needs to be done because their funding requests were denied. That is new.”

An $8 million funding increase in the 2018 federal budget was not enough, Hayes said, and because of the mandatory workload — now larger because of the new entities created by the current government — their only discretion was to reduce the number of performance audits. In the past, on average, the office would have conducted 25 or 26 a year, but they would now have to go down to about 14, Hayes said. He added that the commissioner of the environment is facing a similar crunch because new government legislation has upped his oversight responsibilities to 96 entities from 26 without a funding increase.

The five performance audits cancelled this year were about combating cyber crime, protecting Canada’s North, heritage service to Canadians, training for service delivery and the government’s travel system, said Ricard. They were deemed the least important areas out of a list of planned audits, but “any audit we identify is of importance,” he said. “Facing what we’re facing, we had no choice but to reduce the level of effort and reduce the number of audits. We had no choice. We can’t do it.” “This is the premier oversight committee of Parliament and the one thing in my opinion that we cannot stand, and I don’t care who the government is, is cutting the auditor general. That’s what autocrats do when they want to deny accountability,” Christopherson said, imploring Liberal members of the committee to bring the issue back to their own government. “I would hope that we would begin turning the wheels necessary to undo this because, just to be political for a moment, this government already has a bit of a deficiency on the democratic front. Here is yet one more knock against the professed belief and adherence to democracy and democratic values. … I am beside myself, this is not acceptable.”

Martin Potvin, a spokesman for the Treasury Board Secretariat, said the government is committed to supporting the work of the auditor general.

nationalpost.com/news/politics/not-acceptable-audits-of-federal-governments-performance-cancelled-due-to-insufficient-funding-ag-tells-committee
 

Mowich

Hall of Fame Member
Dec 25, 2005
16,649
998
113
74
Eagle Creek
$94 Million seems like a lot of money for an average of 26 annual audits, what costs so much?


"An $8 million funding increase in the 2018 federal budget was not enough, Hayes said, and because of the mandatory workload — now larger because of the new entities created by the current government — their only discretion was to reduce the number of performance audits.

Maybe that explains it, TM? Whatever the reason, the fact is that this failing government is all too willing to spend millions on their pet projects in or out of the country but when it comes to accountability for their profligate spending - nope sorry, all out of funds.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,893
11,177
113
Low Earth Orbit
Have you seen the size of the Loblaws Distribution Center at the GTH in Regina?

I drove past and thought to myself "why aren't they growing veggies on the roof?"

Must not be a tax credit for that.
 

Mowich

Hall of Fame Member
Dec 25, 2005
16,649
998
113
74
Eagle Creek
I agree, but what expenses are piling up while requesting pertinent information on the audit at hand outside of wages and travel?
Sorry, TM - don't have an answer to that but if I happen to come across an explanation, I will be sure to post it.
 

Walter

Hall of Fame Member
Jan 28, 2007
34,843
92
48
Local No Frills store is getting new fridges from Justine. Guess I’ll just have to vote for him now.
 

Twin_Moose

Hall of Fame Member
Apr 17, 2017
21,299
5,726
113
Twin Moose Creek
Sorry, TM - don't have an answer to that but if I happen to come across an explanation, I will be sure to post it.

Sorry the questions were not pointed at you just in general, that's a very large budget for 2 dozen audits a year and to complain about dropping 4 audits because they need another $10 Million is questionable. It's a nice hit piece on the Libs. over their transparency promise, but with that money we could pay for 35% of Mosaic stadium annually