3 days Ago By Postmedia News
Liberal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is being called out by federal auditors for his department’s poor oversight of the millions of dollars spent on green subsidies, says Blacklock’s Reporter. Management of the department’s grants and contributions program was so sloppy it represented “potential legal and reputational damage,” according to an audit. “We observed significant issues,” said auditors.
The report said subsidy spending had risen by $625 million since 2016, with few details about where the money went or why. “This may result in a multitude of impacts including inefficient operations and reduced coordination, increased administrative burden, reduced transparency and challenges in demonstrating program effectiveness, misinformed decision-making, potential legal and reputational damage, inability to provide a recipient-focused user experience and ultimately the ability of the department to effectively fulfill its mandate,” said the report. This latest audit follows a 2019 Treasury Board memo obtained through Access To Information that stated environmental subsidies were run through federal programs that were so dysfunctional taxpayers could not be sure they got what they paid for.
“Outcomes, target setting and reporting are weak,” said the memo, which added 45 separate programs were being managed by 11 different departments and agencies..
