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Table 8: Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits
| Response to Parliamentary Committees |
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A number of Parliamentary Committee Reports relating to the
HRSDC portfolio were tabled during the
period between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009; however, given the effects of the Dissolution of the 39th
Parliament and the Prorogation of the 1st Session of the 40th Parliament,
HRSDC has tabled two Government Responses
during the timeframe identified above by TBS.
The Government Response is not available on the Parliamentary Website |
| Response to the Auditor General (including to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development) |
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| Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development’s December 2008 Report
– Chapter 4 Annual Report on Sustainable Development Strategies Issue: The Department should have integrated structures and processes to effectively manage the implementation of the Processing Automation Initiative and the Simplification of Program Delivery Document Requirements commitments from the sustainable development strategy and should identify achieved results. The short-term outcomes should be to reduce energy and paper use through service process automation, and decrease service delivery processing requirements. The audit determined that HRSDC had structures and processes in place to plan, implement and monitor the two 2007-2009 Sustainable Development Strategy activities of the Green Processing commitment and could demonstrate some achieved results. Both components of the commitment have been substantially implemented, and progress is monitored, measured, and reported on internally. Some results have been identified, and plans are in place for ongoing implementation. Auditor General’s December 2008 Status Report – Chapter 1 Issue: The study of federal government financial transfers to provinces and territories was an illustrative description of contribution funding provided by HRSDC to support labour market development programs. The study noted the new approach to federal support for labour market programs adopted in 2008. It specifically described the enhanced accountability framework and the requirement for independent verification of the incremental nature of federal funding. The study can be found at: Auditor General’s February 2009 Report Issue: The management of identity information contained in the Social Insurance Register. The Department should collect only identity information that is relevant to program needs, have systems and practices in place to ensure the quality of the identity information collected and that ensure a whole-of-government approach while respecting legal and policy requirements. The audit noted that the Department has taken significant steps to implement a quality measurement and reporting system for the data in the Social Insurance Register, as well as a quality management strategy for new data as it is entered into the Social Insurance Register when someone applies for a Social Insurance Number. The government’s response can be found at: Auditor General’s 2009 March Status Report - Chapter 2 Issue: The Department should have management systems and procedures that provide for timely Governor in Council appointments. The Department received updated guidance with respect to the Governor in Council appointment process from the Privy Council Office, including an outline of roles, responsibilities and expectations, specifically regarding selection processes and vacancy management. A review of the processes of the Governor in Council Appointments Unit verified that decisions on appointments and re-appointments are made by the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development in a timely fashion. Further, Governor in Council Appointments Unit practices include the provision of monthly status reports to the Minister’s Office in which upcoming vacancies are highlighted six months in advance of expiry dates. Current practices are in line with recommendations related to forecasting of vacancies and overall process timeliness. The audit can be found at: |
| External Audits (Note: These refer to other external audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages) |
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| Public Service Commission of Canada – October 2008 Report Government-wide of Executive (EX) Appointments Issue: The Department’s appointments and appointment processes to and within the Executive Group should comply with the Public Service Employment Act, other governing authorities and policies, the instrument of delegation signed with the Public Service Commission and the appointment values, which form the foundation of the policies and the delegation. The Public Service Commission committed to taking actions to address the observations made in the audit. The audit can be found at: Public Service Commission of Canada – October 2008 Report Issue: This study was to help the Public Service Commission to better understand employee movement trends in the public service, to examine the factors that have influenced employee movement, and to identify lessons learned. The Department participated as a case study on the subject of employee movement within the federal public service. The audit can be found at: Privacy Commissioner of Canada – December 2008 Report Issue: The audit focused primarily on Passport Canada and Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s management of personal information. However, observations were made concerning the disposal of passport information at one HRSDC location and the physical security of personal information. The Department will reiterate the importance of the proper disposal of sensitive information with frontline staff and passport information is properly secured and shipped to Passport Canada via secure courier pick-up mail services. Photos left at HRSDC offices will be placed in secure classified shredding waste bins until removal by the disposal shredding company, secure shredding bins for classified waste will be in place in HRSDC offices and certified companies will be utilized to conduct its shredding. All aspects of the passport applications will be returned to the client. The audit can be found at: Privacy Commissioner of Canada - February 2009 Report Issue: Although the Department has a robust privacy management framework, it needs to be revitalized and used to its full potential. Membership in the Privacy Management Framework Steering Committee has been updated and confirmed at the Director-General level. The Chief Privacy Officer and the Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy, Partnerships and Corporate Affairs serve as co-chairs of the Committee. The Privacy Management Framework Steering Committee will comprehensively address privacy governance within its mandate and is discussing options for further revitalization of the Committee. The Department is committed to reviewing, updating and posting the Privacy Policy and guidelines on each of the Departmental Internet sites. The Department’s information sharing agreements will be reviewed and a methodology will be developed to update these agreements. A comprehensive inventory of all agreements involving the use and disclosure of personal information will be developed. The audit can be found at: |