Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Horizontal Issues

5 December 2002

Maria Barrados, Ph.D
Assistant Auditor General

Mr. Chairman, we would like to thank you for inviting us to participate in this panel discussion of horizontal issues. I have with me today John Mayne, Principal, who heads our Accountability Team.

The commitments the federal government makes to Canadians are often targeted at horizontal issues. For example, issues such as climate change and helping children and families out of poverty cut across departmental lines and reflect the government's broad vision for Canada.

Parliamentarians are focussing on these issues. The June 2001 Report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources and the Status of Persons With Disabilities examined horizontal issues relating to persons with disabilities, children, and youth. That Committee pointed to the urgent need for better accountability and reporting.

The Office of the Auditor General has an ongoing interest in horizontal issues. Recent reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development have highlighted the need for federal departments to work together and with others outside government, on environmental issues. Our December 2000 Report also included a study on managing horizontal issues for results.

There are significant challenges, both in managing horizontal issues and in reporting effectively on them. Strong will and sustained effort are required. Departments need effective co-ordinating structures, and where necessary, the will to realign programs. They also need to overcome conflicting priorities and agree on effective reporting frameworks that can provide timely, reliable information to Parliament.

We recommended in 2000 that the Treasury Board Secretariat should play a stronger leadership role to ensure that horizontal issues are managed for results and that external reporting takes place. Initiatives since then include the President of the Treasury Board's report, "Canada's Performance 2002", which provides a context for departmental reporting; and the Secretariat's database aimed at making information on horizontal issues available to parliamentary committees and other interested parties.

Mr. Chairman, while we see progress on these issues, we also suggest the need to:

• Devote more attention to the question of how government should manage horizontal issues;
• Make a greater effort to report separately on important horizontal issues; and
• Demonstrate more clearly in such reporting the federal government's contribution to horizontal issues involving outside parties.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening statement, and we would be pleased to answer your Committee's questions.