Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, February 13, 2017 -

The Atlantic Pilotage Authority, responsible for providing safe marine pilotage service within designated regions in Atlantic Canada, needs to do a better job of setting its tariffs and ensuring it has sound contracts in place with entrepreneurial pilots – independent pilots who are not members of the union – according to a report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts tabled today in the House of Commons by Ms. Alexandra Mendès, Vice-Chair of the Committee.

In the Fall of 2016, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada released a special examination report in which it examined whether the selected systems and practices at the Authority were providing reasonable assurance that assets were safeguarded and controlled, resources were managed economically and efficiently, and operations were carried out effectively as required by the Financial Administration Act.

The examination determined that the Authority had significant deficiencies, including matters pertaining to corporate governance, financial planning, risk management, and human resources management. And although the Authority has since implemented many new practices to address these issues, the Committee believes that there still remain some areas of concern. Thus, the Committee has made two recommendations in this report that aim to ensure that the Authority addresses each of these deficiencies.