Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Observations and Recommendations on the Action Plan
MACA’s Approach to Development of the Plan
In outlining its approach to developing the action plan, the department noted that “…all MACA staff were provided an opportunity to offer grassroots solutions and approaches to address the issues the OAG has identified,” and that this approach “…underlines the importance of engaging staff who are going to be directly responsible for the implementation of the action plan.”
While the Standing Committee agrees with the importance of engaging with staff to identify innovative solutions, Members believe that it is equally important to engage stakeholders outside the department in this discussion, particularly the communities to which the department provides support.
This, in fact, was a theme that permeated the committee's overall discussion with the Office of the Auditor General on the audit. In tracing the changing role of the department as a result of the 2007 New Deal, the OAG noted that MACA's role in providing support to communities has evolved into one that requires the department to develop expertise in relationship building. In fact, during the public review, the Auditor General expressed the view that relationship-building should be MACA's core competency. The committee encourages the department to carefully consider this advice.
The committee was pleased to hear from the deputy minister that input on the action plan was sought from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. At the same time, it is concerned that the department did not move beyond discussion amongst its own officials to involve community governments, through their representative organizations, in the identification of potential solutions. The committee notes the department's intention to involve these organizations in achieving the identified actions, but wishes to emphasize that this is not the same as providing an opportunity for meaningful discussion with community representatives regarding whether
the identified actions are the right ones.
Recognition by the department of the need to do this kind of ground-floor consultation would, in the view of the committee, demonstrate that the department is strengthening its competency in the area of relationship-building. The fact that it appears not to have been done suggests to the committee that the OAG's observation is correct that the department still has much work to do to build relationships with its partner organizations.
Recommendation 4
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that Department consult with Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories Association of Municipalities on the proposed actions contained in the Action Plan before finalizing it.
MACA's Assessment of the Audit's Findings
The committee notes MACA's observation “that many of the recommendations describe a lack of defined process and challenges the department faces with data collection.” While this may appear to be the case at first glance, the committee cautions the department reducing the Auditor General's concerns to a "documentation problem."
The committee is of the understanding that it is not uncommon for audited departments to characterize the findings of the audit as identifying problems related to data collection and management. Some committee members saw an example of this at a recent public briefing on Child and Family Services compliance audits provided by the Department of Health and Social Services, at which the findings of the Auditor General's 2014 report were described as failing to make the distinction between “work done” and “work documented.” Similarly, in the report on the Auditor General's 2015 report on corrections in the Northwest Territories, the Standing Committee in the 17th Assembly expressed concern with “the apparent efforts of the Minister and department to minimize the significance of the Auditor General's findings.” The committee suggests that this inclination to conclude that an audit's findings are about information and data management loses sight of the bigger picture, which connects information and data management as a means to the end of providing quality programs and services. The committee encourages the department to take heed the Auditor General’s caution that to fully address the issues raised by the audit, the department must:
1. Take a more proactive role with communities;
2. Fulfil its duty to ensure the proper delivery of essential services by communities in accordance with legislation, regulations and policy; and
3. Develop expert skills in relationship-building as a core competency.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to hand this off to the honourable Member for Nunakput. Mahsi.