CANADIAN COUNCIL OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEES
UNIVERSAL IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
GUIDELINES FOR PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEES IN CANADA -- Continued
| 21. | The Public Accounts Committee shall have the right to review new legislation and amendments (prior to its introduction for final reading dealing the the Audit Act or pertaining to the Committee's terms of reference (4.5) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| House of Commons | Saskatchewan | Alberta |
| Ontario | British Columbia | |
| Yukon | Manitoba | |
| Quebec | Newfoundland | |
| Nova Scotia | ||
| Prince Edward Island | ||
| Northwest Territories |
Explanatory Notes
| British Columbia | -- | Informal arrangement. |
| Quebec | -- | The CBA examines all the law projects which involve administration or finances, like the law on financial administration, the law on public functions, the law on the Auditor General, ets. Otherwise, each of the committees' chairpersons is a member of the National Assembly Committee that approved modifications to the Standing Orders. |
| Saskatchewan | -- | Such legislative review occurred once in recent history. |
| Yukon | -- | Some confusion regarding "committee's terms of reference". |
| 22. | The Public Accounts Committee shall have the right of access to all financial information and other documents as it determines necessary for its investigations, except for those that are privileged in the narrowest sense of the law, such as Cabinet documents. (4.6) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| British Columbia | Prince Edward Island | Alberta |
| House of Commons | Nova Scotia | |
| Manitoba | ||
| Newfoundland | ||
| Northwest Territories | ||
| Ontario | ||
| Quebec | ||
| Saskatchewan |
Explanatory Notes
| Northwest Territories | -- | Rules of the House and Terms of Reference. |
| Saskatchewan | -- | Except Auditor's working papers. |
| Yukon | -- | Generally agree but committee thinks there could be exceptions. |
| 23. | The Public Accounts Committee shall have the right to call witnesses from the civil service including Ministers, expert witnesses and private citizens to testify and provide information under oath. This includes individuals currently responsible for matters the Committee is dealing with and those who were responsible at the time of the events if they are not the same. (4.7) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| British Columbia | Alberta | |
| House of Commons | Ontario | |
| Manitoba | ||
| Newfoundland | ||
| Northwest Territories | ||
| Nova Scotia | ||
| Prince Edward Island | ||
| Quebec | ||
| Saskatchewan | ||
| Yukon |
Explanatory Notes
| Ontario | -- | Not ministers. |
| Quebec | -- | In accordance with Article 51 of the national Assembly Law, a committee may assign and force all personnel to appear before them and to produce all documents judged necessary to their acts, inquiries or deliberations. |
| 24. | The Public Accounts Committee shall have the right to meet when the House is in session, recessed or prorogued. (4.8) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| Manitoba | Alberta | British Columbia |
| Nova Scotia | House of Commons | |
| Newfoundland | Prince Edward Island | |
| Northwest Territories | ||
| Ontario | ||
| Quebec | ||
| Saskatchewan | ||
| Yukon |
Explanatory Notes
| Alberta | -- | Meets when House in session only. Motions have been made in the past, and defeated, to allow for funds for Committee to sit when House is not in session. |
| Federal | -- | House of Commons Not on prorogation. |
| Prince Edward Island | -- | Unless authorized to do so by the House. |
| 25. | The Public Accounts Committee shall have the right to provide parliamentary scrutiny of the Auditor's Office. (4.9) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| Manitoba | Prince Edward Island | Alberta |
| Saskatchewan | Quebec | British Columbia |
| House of Commons | ||
| Newfoundland | ||
| Nova Scotia | ||
| Ontario | ||
| Northwest Territories |
Explanatory Notes
| Alberta | -- | Would be mandate of Standing Committee on Legislative Offices. |
| Quebec | -- | The Auditor General of Quebec is accountable to the Office of the National Assembly for his administration and to the National Assembly Committee for the fulfillment of his mandate. |
| Saskatchewan | -- | PAC receives private auditor's audit report on Provincial Auditor's Office. |
| Yukon | -- | Not really applicable as the Auditor is federal Auditor General. |
| 26. | The Public Accounts Committee shall have adequate resources made available to fulfill its mandate and responsibilities. (4.10) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| House of Commons | Alberta | Manitoba |
| Newfoundland | British Columbia | Nova Scotia |
| Northwest Territories | Prince Edward Island | |
| Ontario | Quebec | |
| Saskatchewan | ||
| Yukon |
Explanatory Notes
| Alberta | -- | Funding is available for meetings and conference attendance. |
| British Columbia | -- | Arguably sufficient given the level of committee activity to date. |
| Manitoba | -- | Presently the PAC in Manitoba has very few resources available to it. There is only one Committee Clerk who is responsible for procedural and administrative duties for the PAC and limited research sources are available. |
| Northwest Territories | -- | 7 Members and 3 alternates. |
| Quebec | -- | Each committee receives a budget of $25,000 to fulfill all of their mandates (legislation, credits, parliamentary control, etc.) An additional budget can be accorded on the bases of the purpose. In the context of the budget, a committee can engage personnel that they desire and acquire all other necessary resources. |
| Saskatchewan | -- | No independent research staff. |
| 27. | Public Accounts Committees have a minimum of five members and a maximum of eleven members. (5.1) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| British Columbia | Alberta | |
| House of Commons | Prince Edward Island | |
| Manitoba | ||
| Newfoundland | ||
| Northwest Territories | ||
| Nova Scotia | ||
| Ontario | ||
| Quebec | ||
| Saskatchewan | ||
| Yukon |
Explanatory Notes
| Alberta | -- | Alberta PAC has 21 members. |
| Northwest Territories | -- | All independent Members, no political parties. |
| 28. | Each political party shall have the same proportion of members on the Public Accounts Committee as they have in the legislature. (5.2) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| Alberta | Newfoundland | |
| British Columbia | Northwest Territories | |
| House of Commons | ||
| Manitoba | ||
| Nova Scotia | ||
| Ontario | ||
| Prince Edward Island | ||
| Quebec | ||
| Saskatchewan | ||
| Yukon |
| 29. | Substitution of committee members should be discouraged, however it shall be permitted but there will be no substitution allowed (for an item) after the examination of a particular item has begun. (5.3) |
| IMPLEMENTED | SOMETIMES IMPLEMENTED |
NOT YET IMPLEMENTED |
| House of Commons | Alberta | |
| Saskatchewan | British Columbia | |
| House of Commons | Manitoba | |
| Newfoundland | Nova Scotia | |
| Quebec | Ontario | |
| Prince Edward Island | ||
| Northwest Territories |
Explanatory Notes
| British Columbia | -- | Standing Orders preclude this. |
| Saskatchewan | -- | Substitutions not allowed in PAC. |
Explanatory Notes
|
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