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Briefing Package: Appearance of the President of Pacific Economic Development Canada and Interim President of Prairies Economic Development Canada before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on OAG Report 14—Regional Relief and Recovery Fund - April 7, 2022

Briefing Package: Appearance of the President of Pacific Economic Development Canada and Interim President of Prairies Economic Development Canada before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on OAG Report 14—Regional Relief and Recovery Fund - April 7, 2022

Briefing package for A/Deputy Minister Chris Padfield before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on April 7, 2022.

Table of Contents:
Opening Remarks
Summary of OAG Audit
Recommendation 1: Targeted levels of support for under-represented groups
Recommendation 2 (a) (b): Common approach to program delivery/open and transparent process
Recommendation 3: Reporting on outcomes
Regional Relief and Recovery Fund Backgrounder

This audit focused on whether the Department of Finance Canada provided analysis on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, taking into account the Government’s objective of providing financial relief to employers and facilitating a return to economic activity. This audit also focused on whether the Canada Revenue Agency administered the program to limit abuse by establishing appropriate controls.

This audit focused on whether Employment and Social Development Canada and the Department of Finance Canada provided analysis to support the initial design and subsequent adjustments to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. This audit also focused on whether Employment and Social Development Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency designed mechanisms so that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit would support eligible workers who suffered a loss of income for reasons related to COVID‑19, including limiting attempts to abuse the benefit.

This audit focused on whether Employment and Social Development Canada and Infrastructure Canada prevented and reduced chronic homelessness through interventions that helped those at risk of or experiencing homelessness and chronic homelessness obtain housing and supports needed to remain housed. This audit also focused on whether the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation contributed to the prevention and reduction of chronic homelessness through its delivery of federal housing programs and services that address the housing needs and improve housing outcomes for vulnerable Canadians.

This audit focused on whether selected federal organizations protected Canada’s food system during the COVID‑19 pandemic by effectively designing, delivering, and managing programming to help reduce food insecurity in Canada through the Emergency Food Security Fund, the Surplus Food Rescue Program, and the Nutrition North Canada subsidy program; and to support the resilience of food processors in the agriculture and agri‑food and the fish and seafood sectors through the Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund and the Emergency Processing Fund.

This audit focused on whether the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada ensured that COVID‑19 benefit payments were accurate and paid to eligible applicants and undertook timely procedures to recover overpayments and/or payments made to ineligible recipients. The audit also focused on whether the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada managed the COVID‑19 programs efficiently and measured their administrative effectiveness. Finally, the audit examined whether programs’ objectives were achieved and provided value-for-money outcomes.

This audit focused on whether Correctional Service Canada’s programs respond to the diversity of the offender population to support their safe and successful return to the community. This includes examining the department’s policies and practices to promote workplace equity, diversity, and inclusion.

This audit focused on whether Employment and Social Development Canada managed the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to protect agricultural workers from COVID‑19 in 2020 and 2021. We focused particularly on the amended Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and the department’s inspections, which were meant to verify whether employers followed the COVID‑19 regulatory requirements. These requirements came into force in April 2020 and were in place for the duration of our audit. We also examined whether Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada verified that the recipients it funded under two of its COVID‑19 support programs met program terms and conditions.