HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL REPORT
NEW PLANES, NO PILOTS
Canada’s $500-million purchase of used CF-18 fighter jets from Australia will be hamstrung by the ongoing problem that the air force does not have enough pilots to fly them or technicians to keep them in the air. The military has warned the government about this for years. Auditor General Michael Ferguson said military commanders first alerted the government to the personnel shortage in 2016, when the Liberals were planning to spend billions of dollars on 18 new Super Hornet jets to supplement Canada’s aging CF-18 fleet. But the government brushed aside those concerns and pressed ahead with the purchase.
MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULTS
The Forces are doing better at encouraging members to report instances of sexual misconduct but help for people who’ve suffered in the ranks is inadequate. There was also a lack of specialized training for chaplains and military health professionals to support victims. The auditor general also took aim at military regulations that compel victims to report inappropriate or criminal behaviour, which then launches a formal complaint process — whether the service member wants it or not.
DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS UNPROTECTED
About half of Canada’s diplomatic corps works in places where there’s danger from terrorism, espionage or armed conflict. Spot-checks of Canada’s missions abroad found all of their security plans are lacking in some way, from outdated or nonexistent threat assessments to missing or broken equipment. Physical security, such as vehicle barriers, video surveillance, alarms and X-ray machines were missing or not working properly. At one of place, the perimeter was determined in 2011 to have a “critical vulnerability,” but a site visit this year found this problem hadn’t been fixed.
HERITAGE BUILDINGS UNPROTECTED
Three federal bodies that are responsible for more than two-thirds of the government’s historic structures don’t have adequate plans to protect them. National Defence, Fisheries and Oceans, and Parks Canada don’t even have a handle on what buildings they own, let alone resources and strategies for conserving delicate heritage sites. Some buildings have crumbling bricks, no roofs and graffiti, and some are in real danger of collapsing, the latest report says.
RURAL INTERNET
Governments have talked for years about extending broadband internet to almost every inhabitant of Canada but with no budget to put behind a plan, none has ever been developed. Rural and remote areas risk being left behind by the digital economy. The lack of a national strategy had hampered the implementation of the government’s Connect to Innovate program, which allocated $500 million over five years starting in 2016.
TAXPAYERS’ TREATMENT VARIES
The level of service you get from the Canada Revenue Agency depends on which regional office you deal with. Audits of some of the more difficult files in one regional office take about 320 days. In another, they take eight months longer. When taxpayers file new information that could change their tax bills in one region, getting an answer takes about three months. In another, it’s more like nine.
PAROLEES NOT GETTING OUT
A shortage of community-supervision options means that federal inmates who are entitled to parole aren’t getting out because there’s nowhere approved for them to go. Sometimes the delays stretch into months. The shortage of spaces means parolees are increasingly sent to communities where they have no family or supports, and no intention of staying.