2005 Opening Statement to the Committee on Public Accounts - Indian and Northern Affairs Canada-Education Program and Post-Secondary Student Support (Chapter 5 - November 2004 Report of the Auditor General of Canada)

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Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada—Education Program and Post-Secondary Student Support
(Chapter 5 - November 2004 Report of the Auditor General of Canada)

4 May, 2005

Sheila Fraser, FCA
Auditor General of Canada

Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity to comment on the departmental action plan in relation to Chapter 5 of our November 2004 Report on Indian and Northern Affairs Canada—Education Program and Post-Secondary Student Support. With me is André Côté, the Director on this audit.

The motion adopted by this committee last February called for the action plan to be prepared “in consultation with” our Office. We had two meetings with departmental officials to discuss drafts of the action plan. At both of these meetings, we conveyed comments and suggestions to improve the document. Some of these are reflected in the document presented to you by the Department.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to start with three positive aspects I see in this action plan. First, thanks to the persistence of your committee, you have commitments from the Department on a set of actions that will guide the Department, First Nations, and other partners as they work together to improve the education of the children living in First Nations communities.

Second, we are pleased to see that the Department’s commitment to define its roles and responsibilities will be the first deliverable. The Department has committed to complete a draft statement of its roles and responsibilities by September of this year. As we mentioned in January, we believe that clarifying roles and responsibilities is a prerequisite to progress in First Nations education and to effective accountability.

Third, this plan sets specific dates for the completion of key actions and commitments. This will provide a basis against which the Department and other interested parties can measure progress towards implementing this plan.

Mr. Chairman, there are a few other observations I would like to make on this action plan.

I am disappointed to see that it is difficult to specifically relate the Department’s proposed actions to our observations and recommendations, as called for in your motion. As the plan stands, the reader has to reconstruct the recommendations and make the link with the proposed actions to assess whether they are all addressed. We have included as an appendix to this statement a chart outlining the responses to the recommendations.
The action plan covers all recommendations made in our November 2005 chapter. However, it is difficult to tell whether the actions related to each recommendation will address all the issues as few details are provided.
Some of the terms used to describe actions or final products may be too technical; we would have preferred a clearer presentation.
Further, in our view, this plan does not contain much in the way of specific actions in relation to the 38 percent of the elementary and secondary students who attend provincial schools. Having specific actions is particularly important at the secondary school level. As the proportion of students who attend provincial schools at the secondary level is higher than at the elementary level, provincial partners play a critical role when trying to address the challenges related to the high drop-out rate during high school and the low high-school graduation rate.
Finally, this plan does not make a clear distinction between the issues related to elementary and secondary education and those related to post-secondary education. Although we agree these issues are interrelated, we believe that it would have been easier to monitor progress against our observations and recommendations if the actions had been presented separately.

It is our understanding that this plan reflects some actions that the Department and First Nations have jointly agreed to undertake and that these cannot be changed unilaterally. It is also our understanding that this plan will be implemented in the larger policy-development process that the government has embarked on with Aboriginal people, including First Nations.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, there is no doubt that this action plan is a step in the right direction. We are guardedly hopeful that it will result in concrete changes in the education program between now and June 2007. Your committee may want to ask the Department for more specificity as the plan rolls out, including concrete deliverables and interim dates. You may also want to discuss how you will be kept informed of the progress being made by the Department as it implements this plan and, if required, of any changes in deliverables or time frames.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my observations with respect to the action plan. We would be pleased to answer any questions members may have.

Annexe — Chapter 5, November 2004 Report – Indian and Northern Affairs Canada – Education Program and Post-Secondary Student Support

Departmental responses to recommendations

Para. #	Recommendation	Department’s Response	Action Plan	Date
5.33	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, in consultation with First Nations, should immediately develop and implement a comprehensive strategy and action plan, with targets, to close the education gap. It should also report progress to Parliament and to First Nations on a timely basis.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is working with First Nations on a review of key elements of the elementary and secondary education programs. As well, the Department is leading the follow-up work to the April 2004 Canada—Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable on lifelong learning, building on past studies such as the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the National Working Group on Education. The Department is also actively participating in preparations for the other roundtables on health, housing, economic opportunities, negotiations, and accountability. The Department will continue to report to Parliament through the performance report, the report on plans and priorities, and the Aboriginal Report Card the prime minister has committed to produce. These will provide the Department and First Nations with an opportunity to jointly develop key indicators, report on progress, and identify areas where more work is needed.	Complete a First Nation Education Policy Framework	June 2006
			Complete a First Nation Education Management Framework	June 2007
			(plus actions related to rec. 5.46)
5.42	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada should clearly define and document its roles in education while taking into account its basic legal responsibilities and the roles of other parties. The Department should provide its regional offices with sufficient guidance and training to ensure that its roles and responsibilities are understood and applied consistently.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada continues to work on defining its roles in education. While this appears to be a straightforward task, it is more complex because of the number of stakeholders and their diverging views about the Department's current mandate in First Nations education matters and how this mandate should evolve to support First Nations control of First Nations education. The process that led to the creation of the Education Branch in early 2004 has laid the groundwork for defining the Department's roles and responsibilities in First Nations education. The Regional Operations Support and Services Sector, created in 2003–04 to ensure consistency and coherence across the regions, will help regional offices understand and consistently apply their roles and responsibilities.	Department develops a draft statement of INAC's roles and responsibilities	Sept. 2005
			Department engages in discussions with First Nations to reach a common understanding of INAC’s roles and responsibilities	Dec. 2005
			Information sessions among INAC (HQ and regions), First Nations and other key parties involved in First Nation education The finalized statement of INAC’s roles and responsibilities will be included in the comprehensive First Nation Education Policy Framework to be completed by June 2006.	Jan. 2006 and on-going
5.46	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, in consultation with First Nations, should accelerate its efforts to develop and apply appropriate performance and results indicators along with targets.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has undertaken a data collection review that will provide a profile of all education data it currently collects, including the rationale and authority. This work will contribute to the Department's Managing for Results Initiative. This accountability regime will focus on clear roles and responsibilities, clear performance expectations, balanced expectations and capacities, credible reporting, and reasonable review and adjustment. The Department will also participate in the Aboriginal roundtable on accounting for results led by the Treasury Board Secretariat and in the development of key indicators to be used in the Aboriginal Report Card.	Implement an electronic tool that captures information on existing indicators related to INAC-funded education programs	Nov. 2005
			In partnership with First Nation representatives, develop a blueprint for a more comprehensive data system to reduce the First Nation reporting burden and to report on progress for all education programs	Nov. 2006
			Finalize performance indicators and reporting requirements based on the comprehensive First Nation Education Policy Framework and develop the data capture and performance reporting system	June 2007
5.51	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada should undertake to obtain reliable and consistent information on the actual costs of delivering education services on reserves and compare the costs with those of providing comparable education services in the provinces.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has undertaken a review to compare the funds it allocates to schools operated by First Nations with the funds those schools would receive under the applicable provincial funding formula. As well, a comparative study of the salaries of teachers in First Nations schools and those in provincial schools is underway.	Analyses the impact of increases in provincial investments on departmental funding practices	Sept. 2005
			Develop resourcing options compatible with the comprehensive First Nation Education Policy Framework	June 2006
			Finalize options for a revised funding model developed in collaboration with First Nations This revised resourcing model will be included in the comprehensive First Nation Education Management Framework to be completed by June 2007	June 2007
5.55	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, in consultation with First Nations, should ensure that tuition agreements are in place. The Department should also provide its regional offices with sufficient guidance and training to ensure that its responsibilities are understood and applied consistently.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada agrees that tuition agreements should be in place. The creation of the Regional Operations Support and Services Sector will help ensure that the necessary tuition agreements are in place across the regions.	Develop INAC’s compliance regime and guidelines for education programs	June 2005
			Introduce INAC’s education compliance guidelines and provide training and guidance to ensure consistent understanding across all INAC regions	July/Sept. 2005
			Implement INAC’s education compliance regime and guidelines	Oct. 2005
			In collaboration with First Nations, implement INAC’s redesigned education compliance regime and guidelines, to be included in the comprehensive First Nation Education Management Framework	June 2007
5.59	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, in co-operation with First Nations, should ensure that school evaluations are completed and that recommendations are addressed within a reasonable time.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada agrees that school evaluations should be completed and has provided direction for this activity in the national program guidelines that took effect in September 2004. The creation of the Regional Operations Support and Services Sector will help ensure that First Nations receive the appropriate support in conducting evaluations and following up on their recommendations.	(See actions related to Rec. 5.55)
5.88	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, in consultation with First Nations, should develop and implement a strong and meaningful accountability regime for its Post-Secondary Student Support Program. This regime should include the following principles of effective accountability: clear roles and responsibilities, clear performance expectations, balanced expectations and capacities, credible reporting, and reasonable review and adjustment.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and First Nations are jointly working on a comprehensive review of the post-secondary education programs, including the Post-Secondary Student Support Program. Principles of effective accountability will be addressed as a key component of this review.	Complete program and policy reviews addressing the wide range of accountability issues, including more consistent and reliable financial information on education programs	June 2006
5.88			Complete the comprehensive First Nation Education Management Framework, which will form the basis of effective accountability in all education programs, including post-secondary education	June 2007
5.89	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada should ensure that it provides accurate information to the Treasury Board about the way in which the Post-Secondary Support Program operates.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is committed to providing full and accurate information to the Treasury Board and will continue to do so.	(see actions related to rec. 5.46)
5.94	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada should improve the quality of the performance information that it reports to Parliament. It should clearly define and document the objective and expected results of the Post-Secondary Student Support Program, report on costs and performance, and clarify how the program is making a difference in narrowing the gap in post-secondary education between First Nations and the Canadian population as a whole.	Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is committed to providing relevant performance information to Parliament. This issue will be addressed as part of the review of post-secondary education programs currently underway.	contribute to the development of an Aboriginal Progress Report; contribute to Canada’s Performance Report (Aboriginal Chapter), and publish the Education Programs Report (2nd edition) so that INAC will continue to fulfill its commitment to report publicly on its education programs (in response to the June 2000 AG’s Report). (plus actions related to rec. 5.46)
		Department's overall response. First Nations education is one of the highest priorities of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. The gains in education have accounted for the single biggest contribution to the closing of the gap in the Human Development Index between Aboriginal Canadians and Canadian society as a whole. The Department recognizes the importance of the issues raised in this chapter and reiterates its commitment to working with First Nations and other stakeholders to improve educational outcomes for First Nations students. Investments over the last 30 years in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education have made a real, tangible impact on the total level of First Nations educational attainment. While the Department is committed to moving forward with First Nations and other partners as quickly as possible, given the complexity of issues such as jurisdiction, geography, and demography, it is clear that success in First Nations education must be measured over the longer term. Nearly all of the Department's education programs are delivered either directly by or in consultation with First Nations. Since devolution of program delivery to First Nations also assumes devolution of some accountability for management and results, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada acknowledges the need for the Department, First Nations, and other partners to clarify their respective roles and responsibilities within a context of shared accountability. The follow-up work to the April 2004 Canada—Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable may help to guide the Department's work in support of improved First Nations educational outcomes in the broader context of Aboriginal lifelong learning. This more holistic and co-ordinated approach to learning will serve as the framework within which the Department, with its First Nations partners, can set a clear course for the future in support of First Nations control of First Nations education.	Conclusion. This Action Plan outlines the consultations and concrete measures INAC will undertake to address the concerns of the Office of the Auditor General and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. The Plan sets out clear commitments and delivery dates. All these measures support the direction towards First Nation control of First Nation education through increased support for capacity building and the development of First Nation education systems and jurisdiction. These measures also support INAC’s effort to establish nationally consistent and coordinated policy and management frameworks for INAC’s education programs and services. The implementation of the Plan will ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of First Nations’ education programs and services throughout Canada. Its clear focus, commitment to strengthened relationships and concrete actions will ensure the continuous improvement of First Nations education outcomes.

Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada—Education Program and Post-Secondary Student Support (Chapter 5 - November 2004 Report of the Auditor General of Canada)

Annexe — Chapter 5, November 2004 Report – Indian and Northern Affairs Canada – Education Program and Post-Secondary Student Support

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada—Education Program and Post-Secondary Student Support
(Chapter 5 - November 2004 Report of the Auditor General of Canada)