ARCHIVED - Canadian Heritage - Supplementary Tables

Response to the Second Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Issues and Challenges Related to Local Television.

• On June 19, 2009, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage tabled in the House of Commons a Report entitled: "Issues and Challenges Related to Local Television" which contained 18 recommendations. The Government Response, prepared by the Department of Canadian Heritage and signed by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, was tabled on October 9, 2009. From March 2009 to June 2009, the Committee undertook a study on the Evolution of the Television Industry in Canada and its impact on Local Communities. The Committee set out two general principles: "that any programs designed to assist local broadcasting be open to both private and public broadcasters" and "the Committee reaffirms the importance of maintaining Canadian content and local programming obligations". The Government acknowledged in its response that "Local television is changing in ways that the Committee has noted".  The Government indicated that before moving forward to address the issue, he wanted to see what would be the outcomes of the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunication Commission (CRTC) hearings. 

Link to the Government Response: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?
DocId=4139151&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2

Response to the First Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Report on the Analysis of the Arts Programs that were cancelled in summer 2008.

• On April 23, 2009, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage tabled in the House of Commons a report entitled: Report on the Analysis of the Arts Programs that were cancelled in summer 2008, which did not included any recommendation. The Government Response was tabled on August 19, 2009. It was prepared by the Department of Canadian Heritage and was signed by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. In its report, the Committee concluded that the "cuts to arts programming, particularly the loss of the Department of Heritage's Trade Routes and Department of Foreign Affairs PromArt had major negative impacts on Canadian arts organizations", "that these cuts were ideological in nature" and "calls on the government to reinstate the programs". The Government Response indicated that "Programs affected were those that were not effectively meeting objectives, or had attained their original objectives."

Link to the Government Response: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=40177
66&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2

Response to the Second Report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women entitled: "Towards Gender Responsive Budgeting: Rising to the Challenge of Achieving Gender Equality".

• On February 26, 2009, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women tabled in the House of Commons a report entitled Towards gender responsive budgeting: rising to the challenge of achieving gender equality which included 27 recommendations. The Government Response was prepared by Status of Women Canada and was tabled on August 19, 2009. It was signed by the former Minister of State for the Status of Women. By tabling this report, the committee reiterated recommendations they made during the 39^th Parliament in 2008, in their Eleventh Report entitled Towards Gender Responsive Budgeting: Rising to the Challenge of Achieving Gender Equality. The Committee recommended that gender-based analysis being performed be strengthen and that Central Agencies play a more important role on the issue of gender-responsive budgeting. The Government responded that it "recognizes the importance of gender-based analysis in the development and assessment of policies and programs and accepts the intent of the Committee report as to the enhancement of gender-based analysis implementation in Government and to increasing the integration of gender-based analysis within the budget process". One of the Committee's recommendations was that the Office of the Auditor General conduct an audit on the implementation of gender-based analysis across Government and this audit was tabled in the House on May 12, 2009. In its Response the Government indicated that "The Government is ready to act on the findings in the audit and recognizes the importance of gender-based analysis in policy and program formulation and assessment."

Link to the Government Response: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4017756&
Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2

Response to the Third Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages entitled: Francophone Arts and Culture: Living Life to Its Fullest in Minority Settings.

• On June 4, 2009, the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages tabled its Third Report entitled: Francophone Arts and Culture: Living Life to Its Fullest in Minority Settings, which included 8 recommendations. A motion to request a Government Response was adopted in the Senate. The Government Response was tabled on November 6, 2009 and was signed by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. The Committee indicated in its report that "supporting arts and culture must be part of a comprehensive, sustainable and effective strategy for the development of Francophone communities in minority settings." It concluded by saying that "Arts and culture are at the heart of Canadian identity; they are at the heart of the identity of Francophone communities in minority settings." In its Response the Government indicated that it "is determined to support the development of Francophone arts and culture in Canada. It is convinced of the importance this area of activity plays in the vitality of Francophone communities in this country and of the contribution these communities can make to the expression of arts and culture nation-wide."

The Government Response is not available online.

Auditor General's 2009 Fall Report – Chapter I - Evaluating the Effectiveness of Programs

• The Report was tabled in the House of Commons on November 3, 2009.
  
  
• The audit examined how evaluation units in six departments (including Canadian Heritage) and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) identify and respond to the various needs for effectiveness evaluations. It also looked at whether departments have built the required capacity to address those needs. Finally, it examined the oversight and support role of TBS in monitoring and improving the evaluation function in the government.
  
  
• It found that most of the effectiveness evaluations did not adequately assess program effectiveness, due mainly to the lack of performance data on which to base their evaluation. The audit also found that departments do not systematically identify the improvements that are needed to carry out effectiveness evaluations.
  
  
• The Department of Canadian Heritage agreed with all three recommendations addressed to the audited departments and prepared an action plan to:
  
  
  1. ensure that ongoing program performance information is collected to support effectiveness evaluation;
     
     
  2. consider the merits of including external experts on their departmental evaluation committees; and
     
     
  3. implement systematic processes to determine whether their effectiveness evaluations are meeting government-wide requirements and internal corporate needs, and act on areas identified for improvement.