For immediate release
October 21, 2005
Ottawa - The Honourable Reg Alcock, President of the Treasury Board, and the
Honourable Scott Brison, Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Canada, today announced additional measures to further guarantee a high level of
transparency regarding the operations of government in the service of Canadians.
"True accountability is about the independence and integrity of an
organization's audit capacity - but it is also very much about
transparency", said Alcock. "Transparency validates
accountability and allows citizens to make judgements about the effectiveness of
their government."
The government will increase transparency in three areas:
- strengthening the integrity of its relations with suppliers of goods and
services;
- providing more information to Canadians through proactive disclosure; and
- improving its reporting on commitments.
Strengthening the integrity of relations with suppliers
Canadians have a right to expect that the working relationship between the
government and the private sector - which involves transactions worth billions
of dollars each year - be founded on integrity. The government will
immediately begin working with the private sector to develop a strong Code
of Fair Contract Practices, an integrity pact between government and those
with whom it contracts.
As part of this new approach, integrity provisions will be embedded in all
contracts to provide a clear statement of the obligations currently set out in
the Criminal Code,
including prohibitions against paying, offering,
demanding or accepting bribes or colluding with others to obtain a contract.
Integrity clauses would include the disclosure requirements contained in the Lobbyist
Registration Act.
"The Code of Fair Contract Practices and the integrity
provisions in contracts will strengthen our existing practices to ensure
fairness, openness and transparency", said Minister Brison. "This code
will further clarify expectations for both suppliers and public servants."
On another front, important amendments to the Lobbyists Registration Act
that came into force in June 2005 will help strengthen transparency in lobbying
activities. The Registrar enforces the Act and The Lobbyists
Code of Conduct. To further enhance its independence, the Office of
the Registrar will operate as a stand-alone entity within Industry Canada,
pending further potential enhancements to the Office's independence.
Making more information available.
Proactive disclosure of information is another important way to make
information available to Canadians. The government already provides
proactive disclosure on hospitality and travel expenses, and contracts over
$10,000 and reclassification of positions.
Starting in the spring 2006, the government will make information on grants
and contributions publicly available on its Web sites through proactive
disclosure, initially for those above $25,000. In addition, the government
will determine how best to publicly report information on its responses to
specific cases of serious wrongdoing and misconduct, in a manner that respects
the law on individual privacy and the principles of natural justice.
Reporting to Parliament
Following consultations with Parliamentarians, the government will confirm
its plan to report to Parliament and to the public in a more efficient way.
Next year, demonstrating the priority the government places on management,
Parliament will receive reports on the state of government-wide management and
on human resources management.
In addition, the government will expand its reporting on policy priorities on
a government-wide basis. For example, in 2005, it will report total
spending on all federal programs targeted toward Aboriginal peoples and follow
later with a similar aggregate report of all spending on climate change
activities across government.
- 30 -
For more information, contact:
Lise Jolicoeur
Press Secretary
Office of the President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
(613) 957-2666
|
Robert Makichuk
Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
(613) 957-2391 |
Renée David
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Public Works
and Government Services Canada
(819) 997-5421 |
Media Relations Unit
Public Works and Government Services Canada
(819) 956-2315 |
If there is a discrepancy between any printed version and the electronic
version of this news release, the electronic version will prevail
TTY (Telecommunications device for the hearing impaired) - (613) 957-9090
|