The UCP says the Treasury Board and Finance’s (TBF) updated standards for ministry results analysis sections now require each ministry to include a dedicated COVID-19/Recovery Plan section in their annual report..The changes are to "ensure a consistent approach to reporting," press secretary to Alberta’s Minister of Finance Jason Nixon, Paul Hamnett said..This new standard is reflected in the 2021–22 annual reports, released on Wednesday. It enables specific ministries to provide more information on their annual reports.."TBF is taking steps to ensure Albertans get clear and consistent information across all ministry annual reports on the government’s COVID-19 and Recovery Plan spending," Hamnett said.."Having reviewed 2020–'21 Annual Reports, TBF directed ministries to develop a dedicated COVID-19 section at the beginning of the Results Analysis section of their annual reports. This dedicated section ensures a consistent approach to reporting.".Hamnett said the TBF also hosted training sessions for ministries on "good results analysis principles and the importance of linking financial information to non-financial results."."These steps are helping the department address the Auditor General’s 2019 recommendation on improving guidance and training to ministries on their results analysis sections of their annual reports, and ensuring ministries comply with results analysis reporting standards," Hamnett said..After receiving additional feedback from the OAG, Treasury Board and Finance provided further guidance to ministries on the importance of:.• indicating if information is unavailable at the time of the report being published, and when it will be made available;.• including significant spending or initiatives even if they were not in the business or strategic plan being reported against; and.• clarifying reporting for federal transfers. ."The department continues to work with ministries to address the OAG’s recommendations to improve results analysis reporting," Hamnett said..On Thursday, Alberta’s NDP said it would conduct a full public inquiry into what the NDP says is the UCP government’s pandemic mismanagement, and execute a full forensic audit of the UCP's COVID-19 spending, if the NDP is elected in 2023.The NDP said "the report repeatedly outlined millions of dollars that either could not be traced by auditors, were not accounted for, or could not be demonstrably linked to any beneficial results for the people of Alberta."As such, an NDP government would undertake a forensic audit if elected in 2023.“Alberta, we will find your four billion dollars,” NDP Finance Critic Shannon Phillips, said.“Albertans deserve a government that has their fiscal priorities in order, that knows what it is funding, that tracks its progress, that fixes its mistakes, and that knows where and how every penny is being spent to make life better.”The NDP said the findings raise serious questions about former finance minister Travis Toews, as he seeks the leadership of the United Conservatives based on his fiscal record as the audit confirms that a full $1.3 billion in federal pandemic funding could not be traced by auditors.“This is the definition of gross incompetence. Travis Toews is just as unaccountable and untrustworthy as Jason Kenney," said Phillips.The report from the Auditor General’s Office also found the Ministry of Health “could not identify” how much was spent on personal-protective equipment, contract tracing and rapid testing, it “did not disclose” the number of vaccines received by Ottawa and “did not describe what it achieved” by spending $260 million in long-term care, designated supportive living facilities and seniors’ lodges.“The UCP created a crisis in healthcare that is only getting worse,” said NDP Health Critic David Shepherd. “If the UCP lied to Albertans about what they spent on healthcare during the pandemic, the real question is: What are they lying to Albertans about today’s crisis?”
The UCP says the Treasury Board and Finance’s (TBF) updated standards for ministry results analysis sections now require each ministry to include a dedicated COVID-19/Recovery Plan section in their annual report..The changes are to "ensure a consistent approach to reporting," press secretary to Alberta’s Minister of Finance Jason Nixon, Paul Hamnett said..This new standard is reflected in the 2021–22 annual reports, released on Wednesday. It enables specific ministries to provide more information on their annual reports.."TBF is taking steps to ensure Albertans get clear and consistent information across all ministry annual reports on the government’s COVID-19 and Recovery Plan spending," Hamnett said.."Having reviewed 2020–'21 Annual Reports, TBF directed ministries to develop a dedicated COVID-19 section at the beginning of the Results Analysis section of their annual reports. This dedicated section ensures a consistent approach to reporting.".Hamnett said the TBF also hosted training sessions for ministries on "good results analysis principles and the importance of linking financial information to non-financial results."."These steps are helping the department address the Auditor General’s 2019 recommendation on improving guidance and training to ministries on their results analysis sections of their annual reports, and ensuring ministries comply with results analysis reporting standards," Hamnett said..After receiving additional feedback from the OAG, Treasury Board and Finance provided further guidance to ministries on the importance of:.• indicating if information is unavailable at the time of the report being published, and when it will be made available;.• including significant spending or initiatives even if they were not in the business or strategic plan being reported against; and.• clarifying reporting for federal transfers. ."The department continues to work with ministries to address the OAG’s recommendations to improve results analysis reporting," Hamnett said..On Thursday, Alberta’s NDP said it would conduct a full public inquiry into what the NDP says is the UCP government’s pandemic mismanagement, and execute a full forensic audit of the UCP's COVID-19 spending, if the NDP is elected in 2023.The NDP said "the report repeatedly outlined millions of dollars that either could not be traced by auditors, were not accounted for, or could not be demonstrably linked to any beneficial results for the people of Alberta."As such, an NDP government would undertake a forensic audit if elected in 2023.“Alberta, we will find your four billion dollars,” NDP Finance Critic Shannon Phillips, said.“Albertans deserve a government that has their fiscal priorities in order, that knows what it is funding, that tracks its progress, that fixes its mistakes, and that knows where and how every penny is being spent to make life better.”The NDP said the findings raise serious questions about former finance minister Travis Toews, as he seeks the leadership of the United Conservatives based on his fiscal record as the audit confirms that a full $1.3 billion in federal pandemic funding could not be traced by auditors.“This is the definition of gross incompetence. Travis Toews is just as unaccountable and untrustworthy as Jason Kenney," said Phillips.The report from the Auditor General’s Office also found the Ministry of Health “could not identify” how much was spent on personal-protective equipment, contract tracing and rapid testing, it “did not disclose” the number of vaccines received by Ottawa and “did not describe what it achieved” by spending $260 million in long-term care, designated supportive living facilities and seniors’ lodges.“The UCP created a crisis in healthcare that is only getting worse,” said NDP Health Critic David Shepherd. “If the UCP lied to Albertans about what they spent on healthcare during the pandemic, the real question is: What are they lying to Albertans about today’s crisis?”
