Payroll problems, Syrian refugee resettlement are on auditor general’s radar
Public servants have held protests against the failed Phoenix payroll system. (Julie Ireton/CBC)
Canada’s spending watchdog will release his fall reports today, digging in to a range of issues from pay problems for public servants to resettlement services for Syrian refugees.
Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s six audits will be tabled in the House of Commons at 10 a.m. ET and he will discuss his findings at a news conference at 11 a.m.
CBCNews.ca will carry it live.
One of the most damning chapters could be on Ferguson’s examination of the Phoenix payroll system for federal employees, which has already drawn intense criticism from federal workers, unions and opposition critics. The auditor examined whether Public Services and Procurement Canada and other departments have worked diligently enough to resolve the widespread pay problems.
Crystal Warner, national executive vice-president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, said her own battles with overpayments and underpayments left her “unbelievably frustrated and angry.”
She urged the Canadian public to be patient and understanding as federal government employees consider new steps to force the government to act.
“If we do start to do escalating tactics, just try and understand what it would mean for you and your family if you weren’t getting a paycheque and you couldn’t put food on the table,” she told CBC News. “Try and have empathy for us as we start looking at new options.”
Ahead of the audit, the minister for public services and procurement Carla Qualtrough sent a letter to federal public servants apologizing for the disastrous pay system last week, as the backlog of cases ballooned to 520,000.
“I am truly sorry that more than half of the public servants continue to experience some form of pay issue. Too many of you have been waiting too long for your pay,” she said in the letter dated Nov. 16.
The backlog of cases includes 265,000 files in which public servants have been underpaid, overpaid or not paid at all, a situation the minister described as “unacceptable” in her letter.
Syrian refugee resettlement
Today’s audit report will also assess how well Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did in helping Syrian refugees get the services and what supports they need to smoothly integrate into Canada. Ferguson will also determine if the department properly measured outcomes of its efforts in the ambitious one-time program.
As of January 2017, Canada had welcomed more than 40,000 Syrian refugees to the country, including more than 25,000 who were sponsored by the government, checking off a key campaign promise for the Liberals.
The Canadian Press reported that the price tag for the program was estimated at $1.2 billion over six years, with money allotted to six departments including Immigration, National Defence, Public Health, Shared Services, Global Affairs and the Border Services Agency.
Ferguson’s report will also review how well Correctional Service Canada has been doing in preparing women offenders for release with correctional programs and mental health services to help them successfully reintegrate. Last month, Correctional Investigator Ivan Zinger said living conditions for federally sentenced women are “harsh and inappropriate” for offenders struggling with serious mental illness, some of whom engage in chronic self-injurious behaviour.
Women’s programs behind bars
The practice of temporarily transferring acutely mentally ill women on an emergency basis to all-male treatment centres where they are separated and held in complete isolation is “entirely inappropriate, unacceptable and contrary to international human rights standards,” he said.
Zinger also reported on a lack of meaningful work programs, noting that women prisoners are most often put to work on gender stereotypical work like sewing, textiles and laundry.
Other audits to be released today:
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An examination of whether the Royal Military College of Canada is producing the quality of officers that the Canadian Armed Forces needs, at a reasonable cost.
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A review of Canada Revenue Agency call centres and whether taxpayers are getting accurate information in a timely manner.
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An inquiry into whether Health Canada’s dental care program for First Nations and Inuit has had a positive effect on their oral health.