Question Period Note: Performance Audit of the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund

• The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) was designed and delivered under emergency circumstances to provide financial assistance to businesses and organizations that did not qualify for other programs.

• To help keep people employed and to sustain employers, the Government of Canada invested over
$2 billion through the RRRF - 25 percent of which was earmarked for the tourism sector. Applications closed June 30, 2021.

• In Northern Ontario, more than $100 million in relief funding was delivered to over 1,200 businesses and organizations in critical need of support.

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has undertaken a number of audits to examine government spending in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because the RRRF was a back-stop program under the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, its original design was revised throughout the pandemic to adjust to changes in the other programs under the Plan.

As part of its work, the OAG examined how Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) as well as selected regional development agencies (RDAs) designed and delivered the RRRF program from March 15, 2020 to June 30, 2021, and reported on results. The audit included the Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) – now Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan) and Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) – as well as the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

ISED is included for its previous responsibility for Federal Economic Development Agency (FedNor) and for the support it provides in the design and delivery of the program, including the coordination of the reporting of RRRF results.

• The RRRF audit covered the period of March 15, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

• The Office of the Auditor General worked with RDAs to communicate their findings and recommendations. These are included in the final report tabled on December 9, 2021.

• The RDAs have reviewed the report and provided a coordinated response to each of the recommendations. These will be included in the published report.