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GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE SIXTEENTH REPORT OF
THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
RECOMMENDATION 1 – That the Privy Council Office submit an action
plan to the Committee in response to the recommendations contained in Chapter 24
of the December 2000 Report of the Auditor General of Canada. This action plan
must make specific reference to each of the recommendations, contain target
implementation dates and be submitted no later than 30 June 2002.
RESPONSE:
The Government has already identified many of the issues raised by the
Auditor General and has undertaken work to find solutions to these shared
concerns. It welcomed the Auditor General’s report.
The Government has prepared an action plan. This plan responds to the
recommendations made by the Auditor General and addresses federal regulatory
programs horizontally. The action plan includes examples of department- and
agency-specific initiatives as demonstrations of practical implementation.
It also represents the Government’s response to the broad themes
identified by the Auditor General: capacity, in terms of human and financial
resources required, to perform its mandate and, in terms of guidance
instruments/processes, to improve the effectiveness of its regulatory
interventions (e.g., continuous learning); transparency and public
involvement in how regulatory programs are developed, implemented and
assessed; accountability of Government; and actions to strengthen the
implementation of the Government’s Regulatory Policy.
RECOMMENDATION 2 – That the Government establish a regulatory
affairs office reporting to the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the
Cabinet.
RECOMMENDATION 3 – That the regulatory affairs office be given the mandate
and resources to effectively:
- Coordinate the design, delivery and funding of health and safety
regulatory programs across government;
- Coordinate interdepartmental and intergovernmental initiatives in
health and safety regulatory programs;
- Make improvements to the structure and implementation of health and
safety regulatory programs across government;
- Provide assistance to government departments and agencies in the
delivery of health and safety regulatory programs in the form of training,
advice, and information on best practices;
- Develop and implement effective surveillance systems, databases and
risk assessment methodologies for health and safety regulatory programs;
- Work with departments and agencies to create appropriate indicators to
measure performance in delivering health and safety regulatory programs;
- Monitor departmental performance reports to Parliament to ensure that
information on health and safety regulatory programs is accurate, relevant
and timely;
- Conduct regular evaluations of health and safety regulatory programs
based on an evaluation framework, and make the results available to
Parliament in a timely manner; and
- Table an annual report to Parliament on the overall effectiveness of
health and safety regulatory programs that includes an assessment of
financial and human resources that are available to such programs. This
report must include input from all departments and agencies involved in
the delivery of health and safety programs and should be tabled
concurrently with departmental performance reports.
RESPONSE:
Clear and appropriate lines of accountability already exist for reporting,
directly and through Parliament, to Canadians on the effectiveness of federal
health and safety programs. Each minister is accountable to Canadians and
Parliament for the effective and efficient operations of his or her portfolio,
and each minister reports to Parliament on his or her department’s or agency’s
plans, priorities and performance, including interdepartmental and
intergovernmental initiatives.
Supported by the measures currently put in place, as well as the action
plan for regulatory programs, the Government is committed to maintaining and
improving the health and safety of Canadians. It is pleased with the
recognition by the Auditor General of the good practices which exist in these
programs, and it intends to continue this momentum.
The Government will continue to improve the system for interdepartmental
consultations on health and safety regulatory programs. As in the past, the
central agencies will continue to advise departments on ways to ensure better
collaboration, coordination and implementation of regulatory programs. They
will ensure that all departments and agencies comply with, and implement, all
relevant policies, including the Regulatory Policy.
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