The government continues its community empowerment initiative under the guise of regional capacity building. Committee members reminded the government that adequate funding, training and facilities must accompany the downloading of programs and services. Public safety should always be the primary concern.
An effective, accountable, and auditable third party accountability framework must be a required component of any downloading. Committee members pointed out that this was also suggested by the Auditor General of Canada in his Report on Other Matters for 1998-1999. The government needs to know if communities are managing and administering their programs and services in a safe, effective, economical and efficient manner.