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)

31 January, 2005

Ronnie Campbell
Assistant Auditor General

Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity to present the results of Chapter 5 of our November 2004 Report on Indian and Northern Affairs Canada—Education Programs and Post-Secondary Student Support. With me are Jerome Berthelette, the Principal, and André Côté, the Director on this audit.

This chapter is made up of two audits. The first audit focusses on the extent of the progress made by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada in addressing the issues and recommendations raised in our April 2000 audit of the elementary and secondary education program as well as those raised by the Public Accounts Committee in June 2000.

The second audit focuses on the Department’s management of the Post-Secondary Student Support Program.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to start with a critical point, which is common to both audits: it is the lack of clarity in the Department’s roles and responsibilities.

We raised this issue in 2000. The Public Accounts Committee agreed it was important and in its first recommendation stated that Indian and Northern Affairs Canada should “immediately undertake a comprehensive review of its role in education” and “provide a clear and formal statement of its roles and responsibilities”. In its response, the Department committed to provide such a statement by the end of June 2002. This has not happened, although the Department has produced numerous drafts.

I believe that until the Department’s roles and responsibilities are clarified, in collaboration with First Nations and other partners, it will remain difficult to make progress in First Nations education and to hold the Department properly accountable.

I will now focus my comments first on the elementary and secondary education program findings and then on the Post-Secondary Student Support Program.

The Department has made limited progress in addressing most of the elementary and secondary education issues raised in 2000. With some exceptions, such as a new program for special education, the Department has generally continued the same practices with respect to the way it supports, administers, and reports on elementary and secondary education. We noted that activities and initiatives have taken place, but many are not yet completed despite earlier commitments.

If the education results were satisfactory, this limited progress would not be as critical. We found, however, that the Department still does not have good measures of costs, performance, and results. Consequently, we determined that, based on census data, the time required to close the education gap that exists between First Nations people on reserves and the Canadian population has increased slightly from 27 years to 28 years. The need to close this education gap remains urgent, given that the on-reserve population is young and growing. Otherwise a significant portion of the people living on reserves will not have access to the benefits associated with a higher education.

Mr. Chairman, there are two points I would like to make with respect to post-secondary student support. The Department needs to improve the management of this program, in consultation with First Nations. We found that funding allocations do not ensure equitable access to as many students as possible, and information to measure program costs, performance, and results is lacking. Further, the Department neither knows if the funding is used for the purpose intended nor whether it is sufficient to meet the demand for the program.

In addition, the Department needs to improve its reporting to Parliament. We found that the only consistent information provided is the total number of students supported by the program. Even then, the information does not explain why, despite budget increases, the number of students supported by the program has declined over recent years.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I would like to acknowledge the input we received from the First Nations in these audits. Although the Office is not the auditor of First Nations, we seek and take into account their views. This input is extremely helpful. Your committee may also find it helpful to hear from some First Nation representatives during the course of your deliberations.

Your committee may also want to consider requesting commitments and timetables from the Department to address the issues raised in the Report. You may also want to ask departmental representatives for more information on how the Canada–Aboriginal People Roundtable will help resolve these issues.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening statement. My colleagues and I would be pleased to answer any questions members may have.