Outgoing Auditor General (AG) Denis Desautels recently tabled his final report: Reflections on a Decade of Serving Parliament. Sadly, most Canadians, including MPs and Senators, will never read this report.

The AG states, "Our institutions (read: government) are the best defense of ordinary citizens against adverse trends that require collective action to mitigate." Yet his report clearly shows that the federal government does not measure up to his faith.

Take a look for yourself -

Page 3 - "For democracy to work and for government to be efficient and effective, Parliament must be able to play its part." Translation: there is little Parliament can do to correct bureaucratic foul-ups. And MPs have been negligent in their duty to exhibit political will to advocate for and demand change.

Page 6 - "The public service culture - has shown - little movement toward setting measurable targets for government programs and holding public servants accountable for reaching them."

Page 16 - "The public service has not been functioning well for a very long time."

Page 40 - "Our political culture makes poor reporting, safe reporting." Translation: the public service still rules the day and is not changing substantially to be more customer/taxpayer/citizen focused.

To buttress his findings, Mr. Desautels reviews five departments: Human Resources, Canada Customs and Revenue, Indian and Northern Affairs, Fisheries and Oceans and National Defence.

Without exception, the AG found disturbing examples where financial controls have broken down and/or where departments operated in "crisis mode" and/or examples where more studies and consultations were used as substitutes for action.

Each department above is engaged in a front line service delivery. Given the shortcomings identified, it is not surprising that many Canadians view the institutions of government with skepticism and disdain. Now to be fair, Mr. Desautels is somewhat critical of his own efforts.

Page 76 - "Auditors need to go beyond reporting poor results and say what the real cause of the problem is."

But his most damaging observations are found in his concluding observations. Bottom line: it's about accountability. Page 86 starts with a section heading which reads: Being accountable is a big problem.

"Other countries are - strengthening accountability - Canada is in danger of being left behind." "There is a reluctance to let Parliament and the public know how government programs are working." "The people who write government performance reports seem to try to say as little as possible that would expose their department to criticism."

Page 86 - "Ministers and senior public servants should consider the benefits of greater openness."

Unfortunately, the AG has produced many good reports with too few results and little or no public outrage.
His challenge to us is clear.

Page 90 -- "Our institutions are important. Politics is important. It is our duty as citizens to strengthen the institutions of government."

While some of us try, most Canadians are still too complacent. Until we elect courageous MPs with the courage to effect change and until we ourselves take true ownership of public policy, we deserve the abysmal government we get. So Canada, are you up to the challenge