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Table 10 – Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits
| Response to Parliamentary Committees | |
|---|---|
| Standing Committee on Public Accounts Report 7 - February 2008 |
Chapter 3, Large Information Technology Projects, of the November 2006 Report of the Auditor General of Canada This report, tabled on February 25, 2008, focused on the management of large information technology projects. Two recommendations were directly addressed to Public Works and Government Services Canada - recommendations 5 and 6. The government response was tabled on July 16, 2008. |
| Recommendation | 5- Public Works and Government Services Canada conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the continued use of the Secure Channel and provide it to the Public Accounts Committee by 31 December 2008. |
| Government Response |
The Government agrees in principle and recognizes the importance of a cost-benefit analysis for the Secure Channel. The Secure Channel is the government's common information technology infrastructure which includes a variety of security services. It provides Canadians and businesses with secure, responsive and private access to all federal government on-line programs and services. At the time of the OAG audit, a new business case proposing a financial sustainability model was in development. The current Secure Channel contract approved in December 2006 is based on that business case which, upon contract approval, was finalized and formally submitted to TBS in March 2007. Technology and security threats have changed since the initial implementation. TBS and Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) are therefore reviewing the March 2007 business case in light of the evolving security and privacy requirements of the Government of Canada. In particular, there is a need to introduce a wider range of security levels that are better adapted to individual departments' programs and services and continues to protect Canadians. Should a continued common security service solution still be required in January 2010, the Government of Canada will develop a business case that includes an analysis of costs and benefits and a confirmation of the Government's commitment to use these services. This new business case would be presented to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts by December 31, 2008. |
| Recommendation | 6- Should the Secure Channel be continued, Public Works and Government Services Canada provide meaningful results-based information in its annual departmental performance report on the Secure Channel, including information on how many transactions it processes, the number of departments using it, its percent capacity use and per transaction cost. |
| Government Response |
The Government agrees that this information is important and agrees to provide it to the Committee. It should be noted that PWGSC provides the government-wide infrastructure for the Secure Channel while specific program transactions enabled by the Secure Channel are the responsibility of the individual departments with TBS having the lead on government-wide policy and performance measurement. The purpose of the Departmental Performance Report (DPR) is to report against the Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP). The RPP outlines the program activities and related performance indicators as approved by the Treasury Board. The Treasury Board Secretariat is currently working on streamlining DPRs and RPPs with view to reducing the amount of general operational data in order to improve the clarity and focus of these reports Therefore PWGSC will provide the following information in a separate report to the Public Accounts Committee in October 2008:
Note also, that in keeping with TBS practice, we will also link the above information report to the upcoming PWGSC DPR which will be posted on the TBS website following the tabling of this Government Response in the House of Commons. The information report will be updated annually and linked to future PWGSC DPRs as long as a common security service solution continues to exist. |
| Response to the Auditor General (including to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development) | |
|---|---|
| Auditor General 2008 May Report |
Chapter 6 - Conservation of Federal Official Residences The objective of this audit was to determine whether the federal government has adopted the management practices required for the conservation of its official residences. |
| Recommendation | No recommendation directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. |
| Auditor General 2008 December Report |
Chapter 3 - Contracting for Professional Services The objective of this audit was to determine if PWGSC carries out its contracting activities for professional services in a manner that respects access, competition, and fairness, in compliance with authorities. |
| Recommendations |
3.61 - PWGSC should develop and implement a framework to ensure quality and compliance, on a consistent basis, with appropriate legislation, regulations and policy. This would address such issues as enforcement of the terms and conditions, amendments to the contract, and payment for work done, as mentioned in this section of the report. This framework should include a
monitoring program that incorporates lessons learned. 3.72 - PWGSC should:
3.81 - PWGSC should ensure that it reports all task authorizations as they are issued. |
| Departmental Response | http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_200812_03_e_31827.html |
| CESD 2008 December Report |
Chapter 4 - Annual Report on Sustainable Development Strategies The audit objective was to determine whether each department and agency had integrated structures and processes to effectively manage the implementation of a selected commitment from its sustainable development strategy, and could identify some achieved results. |
| Recommendation | No recommendation directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. |
| CESD 2008 December Report |
Chapter 5 - Annual Report on Environmental Petitions The objective of this chapter is to inform Parliament and Canadians about the use of the petitions process. In accordance with sections 22 and 23 of the Auditor General Act, the chapter describes the number, nature, and status of petitions received, and the timeliness of responses from ministers. |
| Recommendation | No recommendation directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. |
| External Audits (Note: These refer to other external audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada) | |
|---|---|
| PSC 2008 October Report |
Government-wide Audit on EX Appointments The objective of the audit was to determine whether EX appointment activities comply with the Public Service Employment Act, other applicable legislation and with the instrument of delegation. The audit covered the executive appointment activities conducted under the first year of the PSEA, from January to December 2006. The Commission examined half of the appointments made in 2006 to the EX-1, EX-2 and EX-3 levels, and all the appointments made to the EX-4 and EX-5 levels. |
| Recommendation | No recommendation directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. |
| PSC 2008 October Report |
Study on Mobility of Public Servants The objectives of the study are to describe the nature and level of appointments leading to movement in the federal government, examine factors influencing that movement, and identify lessons learned. The study examined employee movement over 11 years (from 1997-1998 to 2007-2008), and combined quantitative and qualitative methods to identify and analyze mobility trends. A statistical component detailed the nature and level of appointments contributing to employee movement in the public service. Eight departments and agencies were part of the study. |
| Recommendation | No recommendation directed at Public Works and Government Services Canada. |