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Results: 1 - 30 of 967
View Sylvie Bérubé Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you.
Minister, in Winneway, Chief Steeve Mathias has been negotiating with the federal government for several years to have his community recognized as a reserve within the meaning of the Indian Act. Even though no one here likes that act and it is kind of a perfect example of systematic discrimination, it has to be admitted that such recognition could allow the community to get better funding and to get public utilities. In this case, the problem revolves around the Oblate lands.
Can you tell us where the negotiations with this community are, whether about creating a new reserve or signing an agreement that would allow them to take back their territory?
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you very much.
It is very important for us, as a government, to speed up the progress toward self-determination. This is very important, and I think that after this meeting, I would like to discuss this community specifically and the facts relating to it.
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
Yes, in two seconds.
Lastly, I want to discuss an issue that's essential to first nations communities—water. Ensuring that first nations communities have reliable access to clean water is a key goal for us. As of June 9, first nations, with support from Indigenous Services Canada, have lifted 107 long-term water advisories since 2015, at which date there were 105 in effect. In 2019, we've increased that support funding for operations and maintenance, which is a key demand of first nations—
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
Thanks, Chair.
In 2019 and 2020, we increased funding to support the operations and maintenance of wastewater systems. With these increases, by 2025-26, over $400 million per year in permanent funding will be provided, which is four times what's been allocated since 2016. That will be key and transformative to their maintaining the lifespan of these key infrastructure assets in communities and securing clean water for everyone. These added funds will have that tangible effect that I've mentioned and will contribute to safe water and safe and healthy communities.
I want to thank all of you again for this community. Now I am quite happy to take any and all questions.
Meegwetch. Nakurmiik. Mahsi cho. Thank you.
View Gary Vidal Profile
CPC (SK)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for being here today. As you know, we always appreciate your time.
Minister, you know that I'm all about talking about about outcomes and results and some of those kinds of things. We've had this conversation before.
I have a couple of quick questions up front. I will ask you to be brief in your answers so that I can get to the substance of another couple of questions after that.
You department has committed $43.7 million over five years “to co-develop a legislative framework” for first nations policing that recognizes first nations policing as “an essential service”. We recently completed a study on exactly that. When we had officials from four different departments at committee, not a single one of those people could actually define what “policing as an essential service” was. Would it frustrate you that nobody from the department actually had a definition of what we're aiming for?
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
I think, MP Vidal, that it's frustrating to indigenous communities who have been.... Again, when I spoke about things that we take for granted, certainly people who look like me take policing for granted.
There's an element in here that's important to highlight. My department deals with a sort of companion aspect of policing as an essential service, as a relationship partner with Public Safety. The bulk of that will be led by Minister Bill Blair, firstly as he continues to fund the first nations policing program, but then to expand it and do the consultation work necessary to define and reflect the needs of communities, whether it's the treaty areas or anywhere across Canada that where that service is needed for the health and safety of communities, and foremost for women and children as a key response to the MMIW calls for justice and the TRC report.
Yes, absolutely, it's frustrating, but there is also an aspect of this where we need that input from communities, to keep working with communities and putting forth a piece of legislation that will recognize that essential service.
The part that I'm responsible for, to be clear and—
View Arnold Viersen Profile
CPC (AB)
The boil water advisories continue to be a challenge for the federal government. Your government promised they would be dealt with a year ago. We are seeing more communities come onto boiled water advisories again.
On what day will we be out of the bush on that?
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
I encourage you to look at the revamped website. We had some assistance from a great indigenous organization so that every Canadian could see the progress of those.
Let's recall that in 2015, there were 105 long-term water advisories in effect. We've lifted 107. This is an immense amount of progress. Work remains to be done. A lot of the communities, despite having lost the construction year due to COVID, have pushed through. We've announced additional funding.
When we've put out a date, a lot of communities have asked us where we will be after that date because the trust that I mentioned earlier is so thin vis-à-vis the federal government. It's why in November, we announced additional operations and maintenance money and acceleration funds for those communities where the cost has gone up, looking beyond lifting a long-term water advisory, which, I will remind the committee, is done by the nation themselves.
While it may seem easy to lift an advisory, the community will sometimes hesitate legitimately. If you've been on it for 25 years, you can legitimately think you're going to take your time before making that decision because it's about the health of the community.
These things do take time. We have a commitment to communities that we will be there for them.
View Arnold Viersen Profile
CPC (AB)
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
I don't know if I can give you an answer today. I expect none of them turn to long term, but it's a community-by-community analysis.
You hit the nail on the head on that one. We've lifted 100-plus.... For 182 short-term water advisories, we've made the investment sufficient so they don't turn to long term ones. That means the safety of water in communities.
We need to take a look at water safety from a perspective that is greater than simply building the building, lifting the long-term water advisory and walking away from this. This is about partnership and making sure that asset has a long-term lifespan, is at the height of its technology and works for the community. That means training people at the grass roots, in the spirit of self-determination with the funds of the federal government to support it, so they are what they are, which is the pride of their community, getting water to the people.
View Sylvie Bérubé Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My question is this.
Mr. Miller, you recently unveiled a map on your department's website that identifies the indigenous communities that do not have access to clean drinking water. However, there is one indigenous community that does not appear on that map that also does not have clean drinking water, and that is Kitcisakik, which is in my riding.
Why is Kitcisakik invisible?
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
With respect to Kitcisakik, negotiations are underway with the province about moving the community. Obviously, during these discussions about moving, we will still be here for that community.
In Quebec, there is no boil water advisory, and that is the result of the hard work we have done over the years. For identifying a community that comes under what is called federal jurisdiction, in particular, we count the public drinking water systems that have at least five residential connections.
View Kelly Block Profile
CPC (SK)
I call this meeting to order and once again welcome Ms. Vignola, who is joining us in place of her colleague.
Welcome to meeting number 35 of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. The committee is meeting in public today for the first hour, which will be televised, and will move in camera for the second hour to discuss committee business.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), the committee is meeting today to receive a briefing from the Auditor General concerning the reports that were tabled in the House on Thursday, May 26, 2021, which were referred to this committee.
Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format pursuant to the House order of January 25, 2021. Therefore, members may be attending in person in the room or remotely, by using the Zoom application. It would appear that we are all attending virtually today.
On that note, interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have the choice, at the bottom of your screen, of either “Floor”, “English” or “French”. Before speaking, click on the microphone icon to activate your own mike. When you are done speaking, please put your mike on mute to minimize any interference. When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the use of headsets with a boom microphone is mandatory for everyone participating remotely.
Again, should any technical challenges arise, please do advise the chair. Note that we may need to suspend for a few minutes in that case, as we want to ensure all members are able to fully participate.
I'd now like to welcome our witnesses.
Joining us today from the Office of the Auditor General are Karen Hogan, Auditor General of Canada; Glenn Wheeler, principal; and Jean Goulet, principal.
Welcome.
I will turn the floor over to Ms. Hogan.
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:06
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I am pleased to discuss our audit reports, which were tabled in the House of Commons on May 26.
I am accompanied by Jean Goulet and Glenn Wheeler, the principals who were responsible for the audits.
The first of the audit reports considers how the government acquired protective and medical equipment during the pandemic. The second looks at how Indigenous Services Canada provided the protective equipment and health care workers that indigenous communities and organizations needed to respond to COVID-19.
Both audits showed that there were issues in planning and stockpile management before the pandemic. For example, in our audit on procuring personal protective equipment and medical devices, we found that before the pandemic, the Public Health Agency of Canada had not addressed long-standing and known issues with the systems and practices used to manage and operate the national emergency strategic stockpile.
The Agency knew of these issues because they had been raised in audits and reviews going back more than a decade. As a result, the Public Health Agency of Canada was not as prepared as it should have been to deal with the surge in requests for equipment from the provinces and territories triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In our other audit, we found that Indigenous Services Canada had not followed its own approach to procure sufficient equipment. As a result, it did not have enough of some types of protective equipment in its stockpile when the pandemic broke out.
However, both these audits also showed agility and responsiveness.
Overall, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada helped address the needs of provincial and territorial governments for personal protective equipment and medical devices. Indigenous Services Canada did the same for indigenous communities and organizations. Faced with a crisis, these organizations worked around their outstanding issues with the management and oversight of the emergency equipment stockpiles and adapted their activities.
For example, during the pandemic, the Public Health Agency of Canada improved how it assessed needs and allocated equipment to help meet the demand for personal protective equipment and medical devices from the provinces and territories. It also outsourced much of the warehousing and logistical support needed to deal with the exceptional volume of purchased equipment.
Similarly, Health Canada reacted to the increased demand created by the pandemic by modifying its management of license applications from suppliers for personal protective equipment and medical devices.
Public Services and Procurement Canada also made adjustments by accepting some risks to facilitate the quick purchase of large quantities of equipment in a highly competitive market where supply was not always keeping pace with demand.
If the departments had not adapted their approaches to the circumstances, it is likely that the government would not have been able to acquire the volume of equipment that was needed.
Indigenous Services Canada also adapted quickly to respond to the pandemic and relied on the national emergency strategic stockpile to fill pre-existing shortages of items in its own stockpile, such as gloves and hand sanitizers.
The department supplied indigenous communities and organizations when provinces and territories were unable to provide them with personal protective equipment. The department also expanded access to its stockpile beyond those directly supporting the delivery of health services to include police officers and people in communities who were sick with COVID-19 or caring for sick family members.
Indigenous Services Canada also streamlined its processes for hiring nurses in remote or isolated First Nations communities and made its contract nurses and paramedics available to all indigenous communities to respond to additional health care needs due to COVID-19. While the department took steps to increase capacity, the number of requests for extra nurses and paramedics also increased. As a result, the department was unable to meet more than half of the 963 requests for extra nurses and paramedics that it received between March 2020 and March 2021.
Our audits of the government's pandemic response continue to show that when the people who make up the federal public service are faced with a crisis, they are able to rally and focus on serving the needs of Canadians.
However, these audits also show that issues forgotten or left unaddressed have a way of coming back, typically at the worst possible time.
Canada was not as well prepared to face the pandemic as it would have been if the stockpile of emergency equipment had been better managed and if a long-term solution had been put in place for health care workers, such as nurses, in indigenous communities.
If there is one overall lesson to learn from this pandemic, it is that government departments need to take action to resolve long-standing issues and to see the value in being better prepared for a rainy day.
Madam Chair, this concludes my opening remarks. We are pleased to answer questions.
Thank you.
View Luc Berthold Profile
CPC (QC)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Good morning and welcome, Ms. Hogan. My thanks to you and to the members of your staff for joining us again.
Ms. Hogan, I will focus on some of the things you said in your presentation. You said that the Public Health Agency of Canada was definitely aware of the issues, as they had previously been raised in audits and reviews over the past decade. The same is true for Indigenous Services Canada.
Don't you think you had a unique opportunity to demonstrate the importance of the reports of the various auditors general over the years, and the negative effects that are generated when agencies, departments and services do not follow those recommendations? It seems to me that you either did not make that point in the report you presented, or that you did so timidly.
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:14
I am certainly concerned about that. These days, it seems like every report that I submit is about issues that have been around for a long time and that the government has not addressed. In our reports related to the pandemic, I have tried to strike a balance to show that the public service was taking action and responding to the needs of Canadians.
That said, you are absolutely right. My message is very similar to the one I delivered when I tabled my report on pandemic preparedness in March. To me, it shows that the government must now recognize the need to invest in things that we don't see.
View Luc Berthold Profile
CPC (QC)
Exactly, we must invest in things that we don't see, but that we absolutely must have in hand.
What I would have liked to see in your report is the consequences for not following the recommendations. I'm sure you can tell me why this was not included. There were delays and the Public Health Agency of Canada was not sufficiently prepared, despite repeated warnings. But what was the real impact on Canadians? Unfortunately, this is not described very well in the report I have before me.
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:16
It is difficult to demonstrate the impact in some areas. We don't know whether the response would have been different if the government had been better prepared.
I can confirm that the requests for personal protective equipment made from February until mid-March, before the government looked at mass procurement, were difficult to meet. A fraction of those requests were met. It was very difficult to determine what was missing from the national emergency strategic stockpile, because they had never established a minimum quantity of pandemic supplies. So we focused on the continuing improvement of the response.
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:17
Perhaps I'll ask Mr. Goulet to add some detail. I know that we have determined the percentage of requests that were met. For example, at the beginning of the pandemic, in February, one province requested over 500,000 masks, and I believe they received between 4% and 10% of the masks requested. So we put a number on some of the shortfalls, but it was impossible to determine an overall percentage.
Mr. Goulet, do you want to add anything?
Jean Goulet
View Jean Goulet Profile
Jean Goulet
2021-06-01 11:17
We have specific numbers on the requests that were made by the provinces and territories and on what the Public Health Agency of Canada provided at that time. I can provide you with those numbers.
Having said that, the percentage that Ms. Hogan provided is good. The Agency's response rate to requests is between 6% to 10%.
View Luc Berthold Profile
CPC (QC)
I would really like you to provide us with this information. I think it's very important.
Ms. Hogan, you'll understand that our mandate at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts is to study your reports and recommendations. It is really starting to get my back up, to see that long-standing requests and recommendations are being given so little consideration.
As I mentioned at the outset, when it comes to exceptional situations, public servants are indeed exceptional in their ability to react. However, why is this capacity not as evident when there is no crisis? Always waiting until there is a crisis to react has created problematic situations.
So I would like to get this information on the government's response to requests as quickly as possible.
Ms. Hogan, I don't know if you intend to go any further, but I could have said the same thing about Indigenous Services Canada.
I think it's important to illustrate that your recommendations are helpful. The current situation clearly shows the need for departments to follow some, if not all, of your recommendations.
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:19
Thank you very much for your comments. Yes, we will provide you with that information.
We tried something different in these two audits: we did a real-time audit. We found shortcomings, and that certainly caused a slower response from the government. However, rather than waiting until the end of the crisis to comment on what happened, we wanted to try to influence the government's response to the ever-changing pandemic. We felt it was value-added for the country and for Canadians.
View Jean Yip Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to thank the public servants and the department for their excellent work and their agility in being able to handle some of the quick movements that were needed to fulfill some of the PPE issues. I think it's important to note that.
I'll go back to the real-time audits, and this is for Ms. Hogan. What was the advantage of doing these audits in real time?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:20
There are advantages and disadvantages to doing real-time audits. One of the disadvantages is that individuals are very busy still trying to respond to the pandemic. Hence, we do need to make some difficult decisions about scoping and how far we dig on some issues. The biggest advantage in such an approach to auditing is being able to have a direct influence and impact on the ever-evolving response to the pandemic.
For example, we were able to make some recommendations to Public Services and Procurement Canada about adjusting some of their approaches and some of the risks they were taking in bulk procurement to hopefully influence and improve the response going forward. As we know, we're in wave three. There is speculation that more waves are to come. If we could help influence the response, we wanted to take advantage of that.
View Jean Yip Profile
Lib. (ON)
It's important to be able to react faster and make improvements.
Other than the stockpiling issues, what are some of the long-standing issues that could have been taken care of to be better prepared for the next pandemic?
Karen Hogan
View Karen Hogan Profile
Karen Hogan
2021-06-01 11:22
I'll try to answer that by talking about some of the long-standing issues in the two reports.
I'll start with the first audit. In it, we looked at the Public Health Agency of Canada's management of the national emergency strategic stockpile and its response to the pandemic going forward. There were a few things I would highlight.
One would be making an assessment of a standard or basic level of certain types of equipment to be maintained in the stockpile to deal with a health crisis in the future. Another is fixing the IT system that supports that stockpile. We saw many weaknesses in not being able to track expiry dates and issues in even identifying what was in the stockpile. It's really about taking the time to do all of that in between crises instead of doing it in reactive mode and really not fixing those long-standing issues and just finding a better response in the context of the current environment.
That would be that first report.
If I turn to the Indigenous Services Canada report, I would highlight the fact that there have been long-standing difficulties in trying to secure skilled health care workers in indigenous communities. A solution needs to be found there, because the pandemic just made a bad situation worse.
View Jean Yip Profile
Lib. (ON)
Why do you feel that some of the lessons from SARS and H1N1—the swine flu—maybe hadn't been learned and retained and used as a base in order to prepare for this pandemic?
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