Audit of the Office of the Correctional Investigator - Highlights

October 2007

The Public Service Commission is an independent agency reporting to Parliament, mandated to safeguard the integrity of the public service staffing system and the political neutrality of the public service. In addition, the PSC recruits qualified Canadians from across the country.

Why did the PSC conduct this audit?

In 2006, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada carried out an audit at the Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) and reported poor human resources practices for the period April 1998 to March 2004. As part of its responsibility to safeguard the integrity of staffing in the public service, the Public Service Commission (PSC) decided to carry out an audit.

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the OCI has an appropriate framework, systems and practices in place to manage its staffing activities and whether the staffing activities complied with the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA), relevant policies and the instrument of delegation signed with the PSC. The audit covered the staffing activities during the period from April 2004 to December 2006.

What did the PSC find?

Our audit found that nine of the ten appointments we examined did not comply with the PSEA, relevant policies and/or the appointment values of fairness, transparency and access. We also found a staffing pattern at the OCI that compromises appointment values. We found that all six new indeterminate employees had prior experience at the OCI that was acquired through casual employment, temporary help agencies, long-term acting appointments or Interchange Canada. These employees had performed the duties of the position for a period of two to four years, prior to being appointed indeterminately, giving them an advantage.

The OCI developed a human resources plan designed to address major challenges to meet its business objectives. We found that very little preliminary work had been done to implement the plan. The OCI also developed a staffing monitoring model but did not implement it.

What action is the PSC taking?

Despite the concerns we have with the OCI’s staffing activities, we were generally satisfied with their framework and improvements in the challenge function of the service provider, Public Safety Canada. Accordingly, the PSC has decided not to withdraw the delegation of staffing authorities from the organization. Instead, the PSC has placed the following condition on this delegation: the Correctional Investigator must submit quarterly progress reports to the PSC, who will closely monitor staffing. This condition will remain in effect until the PSC is satisfied with the integrity of the OCI’s staffing activities.