Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 12, 2019 -

Canada’s heritage properties—heritage buildings and national historic sites—promote and reinforce the country’s cultural identity. However, Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and National Defence did not work sufficiently to conserve the heritage value and extend the physical life of Canada’s federal heritage properties, according to a report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts (the Committee) presented today by the Honorable Kevin Sorenson, Chair of the Committee.

In the fall of 2018, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada released a performance audit whose purpose was to determine whether these three organizations worked to conserve the heritage value and extend the life of federal heritage properties. The audit focused on national historic sites and heritage buildings, including heritage lighthouses.

The audit found that, in addition to the issues noted above, the three audited organizations either did not know how many heritage buildings they had or did not know what condition they were in. Also, the heritage property information the organizations provided to Parliament and the public was inaccurate or incomplete.

As part of its report on this audit, the Committee made three recommendations to ensure that the federal government addresses these matters, so that Canada’s heritage properties will be adequately maintained.