Standing Committee on Public Accounts

HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, December 08, 2010 -

While the Public Accounts Committee recognized the Auditor General’s positive observations about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, it made recommendations today to establish a “true picture” of the effect of the stimulus plan, in a report tabled in the House of Commons.

In an audit included in its Fall 2010 Report, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) looked at how programs under Canada’s Economic Action Plan (EAP) were designed and delivered and what steps were taken to ensure that only eligible projects were funded. The audit found that central agencies and departments took a number of steps to ensure that stimulus programs were designed and delivered in a timely way, and all projects examined met the eligibility criteria.

The Committee recommends that the government’s final report on the results of the EAP distinguish between the number of jobs maintained and jobs created by the EAP, and the short-term and long-term impacts of the EAP.

Also, in order to determine that the government achieved value-for-money for over $47 billion in spending, the Committee recommends that the OAG consider examining in its second audit of the EAP whether funds were spent with due regard to economy and efficiency.