HIGHLIGHTS

Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s spring 2015 report looked at federal departments and programs ranging from the public health agency to the correctional service. Here are the findings at a glance:

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Health Canada have failed in key ways to minimize the growing risks posed by antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance. There is no national strategy in place to address the problem, despite the urging of the World Health Organization. PHAC’s surveillance system of antimicrobial resistance is insufficient, and Health Canada is not promoting “prudent” use of antimicrobial drugs in animals raised for human consumption.

The Office of the Ombudsman for National Defence and the Canadian Forces didn’t have adequate controls on its financial, contract or humanresource management. It often did not comply with rules or codes of conduct. DND did not adequately monitor the office. “In many cases between 2009 and 2013, the Office did not follow rules related to the approval and disclosure of travel and hospitality expenses, and to the management of contracts,” the auditor wrote. There also were high levels of sick leave and turnover.

Correctional Service Canada programs to support inmate rehabilitation and reintegration are not being delivered in a timely manner. For instance, most offenders had not finished their programs by the time they were first eligible for release. CSC hasn’t properly prioritized key programs such as employment and education training. “This is important because the more time offenders have to gradually reintegrate into the community under CSC supervision before the end of their sentence, the more likely they are to reintegrate successfully,” the auditor’s report said.

Health Canada can’t guarantee that First Nations people in remote communities in Ontario and Manitoba have proper access to medical care, or to transportation to places that can provide proper care. In an audit of 45 nurses, it found only one who had completed all of the mandatory training for work with First Nations. The audit also found numerous problems at nursing stations related to both health requirements and building standards. Medical transportation was not always available.

Finance Canada is failing to properly manage billions of dollars in boutique tax credits it offers to Canadians, and in many cases does not know if they are relevant, effective or achieving the government’s goals. The Finance Department also does not provide adequate information to parliamentarians on the tens of billions of dollars in socalled tax-based expenditures — including failing to provide future cost.

The Royal Canadian Mint, the Crown corporation responsible for producing Canadian coins, is doing a poor job documenting how it spends its own dollars and cents on international travel and hospitality, according to a special examination report.