ARCHIVED - Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat - 2011-12 Departmental Performance Report

Response to Parliamentary Committees

Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages: Report 2, The Vitality of Quebec’s English-Speaking Communities: From Myth to Reality

(Adopted by the Committee on October 6, 2011; presented and adopted by the Senate on October 18, 2011)

Summary of Report	Discussion of progress made to address recommendations	Link to the Secretariat's response
The report focuses on the challenges experienced by Quebec’s English-speaking communities and reminds the federal government that it has a responsibility to enhance the vitality of both of Canada’s linguistic communities. The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages seeks to draw the federal government’s attention to, and attract its interest in, the English-speaking minority’s concerns and the measures that should be taken to support its development.	The Official Languages Centre of Excellence of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat participated in the government response, led by Canadian Heritage, by providing input related to the support and guidance it provides to federal institutions. Analysis of the impact of federal initiatives on official languages: The Committee raised concerns about federal institutions’ compliance with the directives set out in A Guide to Preparing Treasury Board Submissions. The Secretariat requests that all federal institutions ensure that initiatives submitted for Treasury Board approval are systematically analyzed for impact on official languages. The analysis is reviewed by the Secretariat before final recommendations are submitted. The Secretariat is updating A Guide to Preparing Treasury Board Submissions, which will provide an opportunity to remind federal institutions of the official language requirements in Appendix E of the guide. Participation in the public service: The Committee’s report notes the under-representation of English speakers from Quebec in the federal public service. The Secretariat conducts an annual review, through reports prepared by federal institutions, to ensure that institutions are fulfilling their commitment to provide equal opportunities for English-speaking Canadians and French-speaking Canadians to obtain employment and advancement in their organizations. As recommended by the Committee, the Secretariat will analyze, as part of the annual reporting process, the importance of addressing the issue of equitable participation by encouraging federal institutions (particularly those in Quebec or those that have regional offices in Quebec) to submit an annual review. The review would include issues related to measures taken to ensure the equitable participation of English speakers and French speakers in their workforces. Communication with the public and provision of services in both official languages: The Committee reminded the government that communications and services provided in both official languages in Quebec must be of equal quality, and it recommended that the review of its policy instruments be completed in a timely manner. The Secretariat is revising the official languages policy instruments. These will be implemented once approved by the Treasury Board.	Government Response (Presented to the Senate on March 27, 2012)

Response to the Auditor General (including to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

2011 June Status Report of the Auditor General of Canada

Chapter 1, “Financial Management and Control and Risk Management”

The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Office of the Comptroller General of Canada within the Secretariat, and each of the seven selected departments have made satisfactory progress in implementing selected recommendations and in addressing relevant observations reported in the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) 2006 May Status Report, Chapter 1, “Managing Government: Financial Information,” and the OAG’s 2003 April Report, Chapter 1, “Integrated Risk Management.” The Secretariat received one recommendation; the Secretariat’s response can be found in this chapter’s Appendix – List of recommendations.

Chapter 2, “Large Information Technology Projects”

The objective of the OAG’s audit was to determine whether the selected departments and agencies have made satisfactory progress in implementing the recommendations related to the 2006 November Report, Chapter 3, “Large Information Technology Projects.” The Secretariat received one recommendation; the Secretariat’s response can be found in this chapter’s Appendix – List of recommendations.

Chapter 3, “Internal Audit”

The overall audit objective was to assess the progress that the government has made in addressing the concerns the OAG raised in Chapter 1, “Internal Audit in Departments and Agencies of our 2004 November Report.” This follow-up audit assessed whether the Office of the Comptroller General of Canada is carrying out its duties and responsibilities to provide leadership and direction to the internal audit community. The Secretariat received one recommendation; the Secretariat’s response can be found in this chapter’s Appendix – List of recommendations.

Chapter 4, “Programs for First Nations on Reserves”

The overall audit objective was to determine whether then Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Health Canada, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat have made satisfactory progress in addressing key observations and in implementing key recommendations on First Nations programs from previous chapters related to Aboriginal issues appearing in reports of the Office of the Auditor General. The Secretariat received no recommendations.

2011 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada

Chapter 1, “Expenditures for the 2010 G8 and G20 Summits”

The objectives of this audit were: to determine whether, at selected entities, the processes used to plan for and estimate the budget and allocate funding for the G8 and G20 summits included senior management challenge and whether financial plans were linked to operational plans; to determine whether, at selected entities, the funding specifically requested from Parliament for the G8 and G20 summits was used for approved purposes; and to present information on how the cost of the events was estimated and authority to spend was received from Parliament. The Secretariat received one recommendation; the Secretariat’s response can be found in this chapter’s Appendix – List of recommendations.

Chapter 2, “G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund”

The objectives of this audit were to examine the process for allocating federal funds for the G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund to determine how the fund was established and how projects were selected. The Secretariat received one recommendation; the Secretariat’s response can be found in this chapter’s Appendix – List of recommendations.

2011 Fall Report of the Auditor General of Canada

Chapter 1, “Canada’s Economic Action Plan”

The objective of the OAG’s audit was to determine whether selected federal departments and agencies monitored and reported on progress and federal spending for selected Economic Action Plan programs. The Secretariat received two recommendations; the Secretariat’s responses can be found in this chapter’s Appendix – List of recommendations

External audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Not applicable