Response to parliamentary committees and external audits

Response to parliamentary committees

Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry's report: Made in Canada: Growing Canada's Value-Added Food Sector

Although there were no parliamentary committee reports requiring a response from WD directly, the department did participate in the government response to a recommendation from this report.  Recommendation #3 stated that "The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada examine ways to support the development of the food processing sector in Western Canada in order to increase the value of shipments of agricultural and agri-food products".  No specific corrective actions were taken by WD during the reporting period. 

More information on this report can be found online at the following location: https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/421/AGFO/reports/2020-07-21_SS-5_GovRes_Bibeau_e.pdf)

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

There were no audits in 2020–21 requiring a response.

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

Horizontal Audit of Student Hiring under the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP). 

WD was selected to participate in the Public Service Commission of Canada's horizontal audit of Student Hiring under the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP).  This audit focused on FSWEP as it is the largest of the 3 student programs, employing thousands of students each year. The audit examined the performance of the staffing system with respect to student hiring under the program and sought to identify areas for improvement. This audit was conducted to determine if student hires were compliant with key requirements, and to better understand practices and challenges related to the use of the program. The audit team reviewed a sample of 202 student hires, made between April 1, 2018, and March 31, 2019, in 14 departments and agencies, and conducted interviews with departmental representatives.  Departments were not required to respond individually. The Public Service Commission of Canada provided the following response: Public Service Commission response. There were no corrective actions for WD to undertake specifically.

There were no audits conducted by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages requiring a WD response in 2020-21.