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Response to parliamentary committees and external audits

Response to parliamentary committees

List of committee reports:

• The Government Response to the Fourteenth Report by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts^{Footnote (1)} titled Protecting Canada’s Food System^{Footnote (2)} was tabled on September 15, 2022. ACOA, along with Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions and Pacific Economic Development Canada, in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada responded to recommendation 4 with a joint report showing what progress has been made to standardize data collection, analysis, and reporting for future programs that are administered by more than one of these organizations.
• The Government Response to the Seventeenth Report by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts^{Footnote (3)} titled Regional Relief and Recovery Fund^{Footnote (4)} was tabled on October 17, 2022. ACOA, along with the other regional development agencies, responded committee recommendations concerning the five COVID 19 recovery programs announced in Budget 2021 (the Programs)^{Footnote (5)} with a progress report. A final report was provided on May 31, 2023, on the four recommendations regarding:
  • the inclusion of under-represented groups;
  • improved coordination, fairness, and transparency in delivering the Programs;
  • the steps taken to ensure that program results reporting is harmonized and accurate; and,
  • information on recipient ineligibility, and repayments, and default rates.
• The Government Response to the Twenty First Report by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts^{Footnote (6)} titled Just Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy^{Footnote (7)} was tabled on March 6, 2023. ACOA and Prairies Economic Development Canada, in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, responded to recommendations 5 and 6 (outlined below). An evaluation of the Canada Coal Transition Initiative and the Canada Coal Transition Initiative Infrastructure Fund is also expected to be completed in 2023-24.
  • report explaining the government’s approach to supporting a just transition to a low-carbon economy, including a description of the existing programs that will be used for that purpose and any new programs, as well as a description of ways it plans to address the ten recommendations made by the Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities that have not yet been addressed by the government.
  • joint report containing: 1) the selected indicators for monitoring the long-term effects of the coal phase-out on affected communities and workers; 2) the targets associated with these indicators; and 3) the reporting schedule for reporting on the outcomes related to these indicators.

Response to audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (including audits conducted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

List of titles and chapters of the audit reports

• The Just Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy Report ^{Footnote (8)} by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development was released on April 26, 2022. Paragraph 1.58 of the report, recommended that, to better integrate just-transition principles into federal programs, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Prairies Economic Development Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada should work with Natural Resources Canada to establish the federal government’s approach, which could include the design of new federal programs and leveraging of existing mechanisms to support a just transition to a low-carbon economy that meets the diverse needs of affected workers and communities. Each entity agreed to the recommendation.

Response to audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages