News Releases - 2008
Canada Council for the Arts releases Auditor General’s Special Examination Report
Ottawa, July 28, 2008 – In its first special examination of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada reports the Council is doing a good job of managing its affairs, announced the Board of the Council today.
The special examination found that “the Council’s systems and practices involved in grant management, governance, strategic planning, performance measurement and reporting, and human resources management provide it with reasonable assurance that its assets are safeguarded and controlled, that its resources are managed economically and efficiently, and that its operations are carried out effectively.”
The Auditor General concluded that the Council’s systems and practices “had no significant deficiencies. In fact, the Canada Council’s systems and practices have contributed to its success in several areas.”
The report stated that “the Council has implemented a series of policies and procedures that as a whole ensure that grant applications are processed in a fair, consistent, and objective manner” and that “the Council has an established policy framework and practices to ensure its own independence, as well as to manage conflicts of interest.”
The Auditor General did note two areas for improvement and recommended other procedural actions the Council should undertake. The areas of improvement include establishing a policy for grants that are assessed internally and examining the over 140 grant programs it offers. The Council has accepted all of the Auditor General’s recommendations.
In accordance with the Financial Administration Act, the Canada Council for the Arts is required to have the Office of the Auditor General conduct an examination every five years on its financial and management control and information systems and management practices.
--> Download the full report.