PARLIAMENT Hill—Interim Auditor General John Wiersema is still at the helm of the Auditor General’s Office, but that hasn’t lightened the gravity of the annual fall report which reviewed the government’s 2009-2010 stimulus program and meted out strong criticism of Health Canada’s drug monitoring duties.
Stimulus Spending
The feds spent billions quickly—as needed—and tracked it well, but failed to measure how many jobs it created with its $47 billion Economic Action Plan from 2009 to 2010.
That’s one of the conclusions from the fall report. The stimulus program was geared to buoy Canada’s economy during the global economic downturn by pumping funds toward much-needed infrastructure projects and other specific initiatives, but job creation—the key reason for the program—was not tracked in any discernible way.
The Conservatives have emphasized the report’s findings that support projects were well-managed, while opposition parties have focused on the lack of job creation numbers.
But that lack of information is part of a broader problem addressed in a section of the report titled “Matters of Special Importance—2011.”
“Over the years, we have issued few positive reports on information for management. Instead, we have found that poor information is a widespread, chronic problem in the federal government,” said the report.
Drug Safety
Strong criticism was also reserved for Health Canada’s failure to rigidly review the safety of drugs and clinical trials. The final conclusion found Health Canada fell short in timeliness, transparency, conflict of interest, and risk assessments for clinical trials and drugs already on the market.
Despite a dramatic increase in foreign reports of adverse drug reactions in clinical trials, Health Canada has failed to properly monitor and report on those trials, the report said.
Dr. John Haggie, president of the Canadian Medical Association, said the CMA was reassured that Health Canada accepted the recommendations from the AG.
“Canadian patients deserve a rigorous and effective system to ensure patient safety and monitor performance,” said a release in his name.
The CMA has called for a comprehensive process to gather drug safety and effectiveness data for drugs on the market.
Issuing Visas
Citizenship and Immigration Canada also came under the Auditor’s gaze for failing to screen visa applicants for several diseases.
“The screening for danger to public health is still primarily based on the same diseases that have been the focus for the last 50 years. In addition, many risk indicators, key to identifying potentially inadmissible foreign nationals, have not been reviewed or updated for years,” notes the report.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said he accepted the AG’s recommendations during question period Tuesday.
“We think they are very constructive and, in fact, my department is already working with our security partners, with the Public Health Agency, to put those measures in place,” he said.
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