StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-
For Immediate Release
June 22, 2011
Liberals Request Auditor General Conduct Value for Money Audit of G8 Legacy Fund
OTTAWA- Today Liberal Treasury Board Critic John McCallum issued a letter that he has sent to the interim Auditor General of Canada requesting that he conduct a value for money audit into the G8 Legacy Fund and to determine what value any of the funded projects provided for either the objectives of the Border infrastructure Fund or the hosting of the G8 Summit. A copy of the letter is attached:
June 22, 2011
Mr. John Wiersema
Interim Auditor General of Canada
Office of the Auditor General of Canada
240 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G6
Dear Mr. Weirsema:
I write with regard to the disturbing revelations contained in your recent report to Parliament on the G8 Legacy Fund including how Parliament authorized $50 million for spending on border infrastructure projects which was subsequently spent on 32 municipal infrastructure projects in and around the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka - all of them many hundreds of kilometres from the nearest border crossing. Among your many concerns you noted that, “The funding request was not made in a transparent manner,” and that, “Due to a lack of supporting documentation we could not conclude on the process to choose the projects.”
As you noted in section 2.6 of your report, this audit “did not examine the effectiveness of the projects.” I would request that, due to the lack of supporting documentation, a value for money audit must be undertaken in order to provide Canadians with a clear sense of how this $50 million in public funding was spent and what value, if any, taxpayers received for the authorized purposes of the funds.
A value for money audit would provide Canadian taxpayers with definitive answers on two fronts. First, what value did the money spent from the $50 million fund provide to the hosting of the G8 Summit at the Deerhurst Resort? Second, what value did the money which Parliament authorized for the Border Infrastructure Fund provide in terms of meeting the explicit objectives of that fund.
The G8 Legacy Fund website indicates that, “The $50 million G8 Legacy Fund, established in 2009, provided funding for infrastructure that supported the hosting of the G8 Summit in June 2010 in Huntsville, Ontario.”
A value for money audit would provide Canadians with an accurate picture of how each of the 32 far-flung projects, such as the gazebo in Sundridge, Ontario and the washrooms in Baysville, Ontario achieved the intended purpose of supporting the G8 summit which was held at a summit site which in some cases was up to 100 kilometres away.
The Border Infrastructure Fund for its part has several specific criteria such as ensuring that a project reduces border congestion and enhances capacity, is coordinated with an adjacent U.S. border facility and road access network, supports the implementation of the Smart Borders Action Plan and enhances safety and security at border crossings.
In my view it seems obvious that the 32 G8 Legacy Fund projects had little, if anything, to do with meeting any of the objectives noted above. A value for money audit by your office is the only way for Parliamentarians to know for sure if the millions of dollars they authorized for the Border Infrastructure Fund provided good value for money to taxpayers.
I sincerely hope you will agree with me.
With best wishes,
John McCallum
MP for Markham-Unionville
Source URL: https://jembutmuwsexywallpaper.blogspot.com/2011/06/liberals-request-auditor-general.htmlFor Immediate Release
June 22, 2011
Liberals Request Auditor General Conduct Value for Money Audit of G8 Legacy Fund
OTTAWA- Today Liberal Treasury Board Critic John McCallum issued a letter that he has sent to the interim Auditor General of Canada requesting that he conduct a value for money audit into the G8 Legacy Fund and to determine what value any of the funded projects provided for either the objectives of the Border infrastructure Fund or the hosting of the G8 Summit. A copy of the letter is attached:
June 22, 2011
Mr. John Wiersema
Interim Auditor General of Canada
Office of the Auditor General of Canada
240 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G6
Dear Mr. Weirsema:
I write with regard to the disturbing revelations contained in your recent report to Parliament on the G8 Legacy Fund including how Parliament authorized $50 million for spending on border infrastructure projects which was subsequently spent on 32 municipal infrastructure projects in and around the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka - all of them many hundreds of kilometres from the nearest border crossing. Among your many concerns you noted that, “The funding request was not made in a transparent manner,” and that, “Due to a lack of supporting documentation we could not conclude on the process to choose the projects.”
As you noted in section 2.6 of your report, this audit “did not examine the effectiveness of the projects.” I would request that, due to the lack of supporting documentation, a value for money audit must be undertaken in order to provide Canadians with a clear sense of how this $50 million in public funding was spent and what value, if any, taxpayers received for the authorized purposes of the funds.
A value for money audit would provide Canadian taxpayers with definitive answers on two fronts. First, what value did the money spent from the $50 million fund provide to the hosting of the G8 Summit at the Deerhurst Resort? Second, what value did the money which Parliament authorized for the Border Infrastructure Fund provide in terms of meeting the explicit objectives of that fund.
The G8 Legacy Fund website indicates that, “The $50 million G8 Legacy Fund, established in 2009, provided funding for infrastructure that supported the hosting of the G8 Summit in June 2010 in Huntsville, Ontario.”
A value for money audit would provide Canadians with an accurate picture of how each of the 32 far-flung projects, such as the gazebo in Sundridge, Ontario and the washrooms in Baysville, Ontario achieved the intended purpose of supporting the G8 summit which was held at a summit site which in some cases was up to 100 kilometres away.
The Border Infrastructure Fund for its part has several specific criteria such as ensuring that a project reduces border congestion and enhances capacity, is coordinated with an adjacent U.S. border facility and road access network, supports the implementation of the Smart Borders Action Plan and enhances safety and security at border crossings.
In my view it seems obvious that the 32 G8 Legacy Fund projects had little, if anything, to do with meeting any of the objectives noted above. A value for money audit by your office is the only way for Parliamentarians to know for sure if the millions of dollars they authorized for the Border Infrastructure Fund provided good value for money to taxpayers.
I sincerely hope you will agree with me.
With best wishes,
John McCallum
MP for Markham-Unionville
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