Getting Results through Recommendations and Follow-up

WAAPAC Annual ConferenceLomé, September 29, 2015

Canadian federalism Shared state soveignty between two levels of government One central government, ten provinces and three

territories Division of powers

Areas of jurisdiction shared between the central government and the provinces

Exclusive areas of juridiction (for instance: criminal Law) or shared areas of jurisdiction (for instance: immigration)

The National Assembly of Québec One of the oldest parliamentary institutions (1791) French and British heritage, North-American

context One single chamber (125 MNA’s)

The legislative power attributed to the Legislature

Lieutenant Governor

Introduction (cont’d)

The Committee on Public Administration is currently made up of 13 MNAs.

It is supported by a clerk and a National Assembly research team, one of whose members is assigned to the Committee full-time.

Since its creation in 1998, the Committee has published 32 reports containing a total of 535 recommendations.

Introduction (cont’d)

The Committee spends most of its time carrying out accountability mandates, publicly hearing government departments and public bodies.

The Committee is responsible for deciding, in a private meeting, which departments and bodies it wishes to hear in order to further investigate a chapter of a report from the Auditor General

or Public Protector (Québec ombudsman) question a department or body on its administrative

management (annual report, strategic planning, etc.)

Introduction (cont’d)

Conduct of a mandate after an Auditor General's report

1. Submission of action plan2. Public hearing3. Recommendations by Committee members4. Monitoring of implementation of recommendations5. Reporting on implementation of recommendations

1. Submission of action plan

Procedure implemented in 2006.

Each action plan must be submitted 2 weeks before the hearing or within 6 months after the Auditor General's report is tabled.

The department or body must submit its action plan to the Committee and the Auditor General.

The action plan must include strategic measures and a timeline for implementing the Auditor General’s recommendations.

2. Public hearing Before the hearing:

The Auditor General meets the Committee members in a private meeting to present his or her main findings and propose ideas. The Auditor General also provides an assessment of the measures and timeline proposed in the action plan.

During the hearing:

Committee members question the senior management of the department or body present.

Discussions generally concern administrative management and any action required to correct the problems noted.

3. Recommendations by Committee members

Members meet in a private meeting to discuss what observations and recommendations to make.

The Auditor General does not attend this meeting.

The Committee may reiterate the Auditor General's recommendations or give its own.

Recommendations are usually addressed to the department or body, the Government and sometimes the Auditor General.

3. Recommendations by Committee members (cont'd)

The Committee’s research officer drafts the report.

The Committee tables two reports per year in the National Assembly (June and December).

The report includes Committee members' observations, conclusions and recommendations for the hearings held during the sessional period.

A copy of the report is sent to each entity heard. The latter are invited to submit comments and carry out the appropriate follow-up.

4. Monitoring of implementation of recommendations

The Committee clerk compiles the follow-up deadlines in a table to keep track of whether they have been met and to give reminders if necessary.

All follow-up documents must be sent to Committee members and the Auditor General.

The Commission can hear a department or body again if the follow-up documents submitted or corrective measures carried out are not satisfactory.

5. Reporting on implementation of recommendations

Prepared in collaboration with the Auditor General, who assesses the progress made in implementing a certain number of Committee recommendations.

The Auditor General's conclusions are sent to the Committee.

The Committee devotes one chapter of one of its bi-annual reports to the implementation of recommendations.

Initiated in 2010. To date, 5 reports, presenting a review of the implementation of a total of 104 recommendations, have been published. Progress has been considered, at the time of each assessment, to be satisfactory in 73 cases in all.

Conclusions Good cooperation on the part of the departments and bodies

in submitting action plans and follow-up documents.

The action plans and follow-up documents allow the Committee to complete the cycle of parliamentary oversight.

Reporting on the implementation of recommendations makes it possible to measure the effectiveness of the Committee's recommendations and carry out any required follow-up.

The Committee is pursuing its efforts to improve its practices.