The opposition will point to mistakes and problems but it won't matter because the Auditor General Report is now public and taxpayers have been not taken to the cleaners and every rule has not been broken in comparison to the previous Government. I don't remember the Auditor General ever providing the Liberal government with a positive report.
2010 Fall Report Auditor General of Canada
...it is important to note that the majority of the audit findings presented in this report are positive.
For example, Chapter 1 of this report deals with Canada’s Economic Action Plan (EAP), the government’s response to the global economic downturn. This initiative involves about $47 billion in federal stimulus over a two-year period, with a further $14 billion from the provinces and territories. More than 35 federal entities worked with provinces, territories, municipalities, non-government organizations, and the private sector to deliver close to 90 programs under the EAP. Our audit looked at selected programs to determine whether they were set up in a timely way and with appropriate safeguards. We found that the government put in place appropriate practices and that it approved projects in a timely manner. Capacity to deliver the EAP within the short time frame created additional risks for departments, and senior management implemented additional controls to manage these risks.
It is encouraging to note that when tasked with rolling out a complex and time-sensitive initiative, central agencies and departments worked together to achieve timely implementation while paying considerable attention to risk and ensuring eligibility criteria were met.
This report is evidence that when senior officials give priority to large initiatives like the Economic Action Plan, public servants rise to the challenge. It shows not only that government is able to pull together and react quickly to urgent and unforeseen situations such as the global economic downturn, but also that it does a good job of managing the delivery of ongoing large and complex programs such as Employment Insurance and child and family benefits. Our positive findings speak to the effort that public servants put into ensuring that they serve Canadians well and look for ways to continuously improve.
Rest of report here.
This is good news for restoring trust in government. Some Canadians that will be overlook the majority of positive findings by the auditor general and will stick to the routine of small politics.
