LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS
RECOMMENDATION 1
That Treasury Board Secretariat review the use of exemptions in its transfer policy, especially with respect to foundations, and report the findings of this review to Parliament by 31 December 2005.
RECOMMENDATION 2
That the Comptroller General seek parliamentary approval for any new financial transfer mechanism or policy to foundations.
RECOMMENDATION 3
That the Comptroller General, along with the Office of the Auditor General, review all 15 major foundations and decide which, if any, are controlled or which, if any, operate at arm’s length. The Comptroller General should report back to the Committee with the results of the study no later than 31 March 2006. In the report, the Comptroller General should indicate to Parliament whether the Auditor General agrees with its classifications of foundations as controlled or arm’s length.
RECOMMENDATION 4
That Treasury Board Secretariat analyze the impact on the government’s financial statements of any classification changes to the arm’s length status of foundations. It must report the outcome of this analysis to the Public Accounts Committee no later than 31 March 2006.
RECOMMENDATION 5
That Treasury Board Secretariat, in consultation with the Auditor General, amend foundation funding agreements to include a mechanism that would empower the government to align foundation policy with major changes in its policy objectives.
RECOMMENDATION 6
That the Comptroller General and the Auditor General indicate how such a policy intervention mechanism might affect the question of whether foundations operate as controlled or arm’s length entities.
RECOMMENDATION 7
That the government identify each proposed transfer to new and existing foundations in its Estimates documents.
RECOMMENDATION 8
That the government take the necessary steps to require all foundations to table in Parliament separate annual reports, reports on plans on priorities and performance reports and that these documents be referred to the appropriate parliamentary committee.
RECOMMENDATION 9
That the Auditor General be permitted to conduct performance audits of foundations, recognizing that bills C-43 and C-277 aim to achieve the same objective.
RECOMMENDATION 10
That the Office of the Auditor General conduct an audit of the Canada Foundation for Innovation as soon as it has the legislative power to do so.
RECOMMENDATION 11
That the Treasury Board Secretariat evaluate foundations as instruments of public policy and report the results of its study to Parliament by 31 March 2006.