The standing committee again thanks the Auditor General of Canada and his staff for their work in monitoring the progress of government organizations, and implementing the recommendations of previous performance audits. The committee also respects and appreciates the work of the organizations in making improvements in the programs and services for Northwest Territories residents.

Throughout the Auditor General’s status report the committee heard, again and again, the cross-departmental themes of inadequate information to manage programs and make decisions, insufficient monitoring of third party program delivery, and the absence of detailed action plans to implement audit recommendations. The committee would add a fourth barrier: That of the constant struggle to provide consistent guidelines and training for those who perform the task of data collection and program monitoring.

The committee concludes that the underlying issue is a need for greater GNWT-wide coordination in responding to these barriers. If people from different departments and agencies are talking to each other, perhaps someday the government’s management information system will also do so.

Recommendation 9

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the government provide a comprehensive response to this report within 120 days.

That concludes the report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations on the Review of the Status Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.