September 18, 2024
September 18, 2024
9:30 a.m. to noon.
Virtual Meeting
Members:
- Janine Sherman, External member – Chair
- André Grondines, External member
- Caroline Maynard, Information Commissioner
Secretary to the Committee:
- Michael Walsh, Financial Management Advisor
Regular attendees:
- Sébastien Lafond replacing France Labine, Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Services, Strategic Planning and Transformation Services, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Audit Executive (CAE)
Senior Management Committee:
- Layla Michaud, Deputy Commissioner, Investigations and Governance
- Natacha Bernier, Acting Deputy Commissioner, Legal Services and Public Affairs
Guests:
- James Ellard, Senior Director, Public Affairs
- Catherine Lapalme, Principal, Office of the Auditor General of Canada
Meeting Summary
- Approval of Record of Decisions from the June 13th, 2024 meeting
- Approval of the 2023-24 Audited Financial Statements
- Presentation of the 2023-24 Departmental Results Report
- Presentation of the 2023-24 OAG Report to the Audit & Evaluation Committee
- Approval of the 2023-24 Internal Control Testing Report
- Presentation of the Complainant Consultation – OIC Investigation Program
- Updates from Corporates Services, Investigations, Legal Services, and Public Affairs
1. Welcome and Opening Remarks
Janine and Caroline welcomed everyone to the meeting, and the Chair formally opened the meeting.
2. Minutes and Action Items from previous Meeting
The minutes for the June 13th meeting, the AEC Action Items, and the Forward Calendar were approved without changes.
Action item:
- The minutes for the June 13th meeting to be posted online
3. Presentation of 2023‐24 Audited Financial Statements
Sébastien presented the 2023-24 Financial Statements by explaining variances from the prior year. He confirmed there were minimal changes to the financial statements this year and that there were no new accounting standards or significant changes in accounting policies in the year. The Financial Statements were approved.
Action item:
- Financial Statements to be posted on OIC website and sent to the Office of the Comptroller General of Canada
4. Presentation of 2023‐24 Departmental Results Report
Sébastien highlighted the major accomplishments of OIC that are presented in the DRR. He also explained that OIC has adopted new performance indicators in the 2024-25 Departmental Plan but OIC must continue to report under the old indicators for the 2023-24 DRR. André identified one correction to be made in the DRR.
Action item:
- One correction to be made in the DRR before sending it to the Minister's Office for signature.
5. OAG 2023‐24 Report to the Audit and Evaluation Committee
Catherine presented the OAG's Report to the AEC. She confirmed that the OAG did not identify any errors or misstatements in the Financial Statements, and that the OAG will issue an unmodified auditor's report. She also covered the topics required under Canadian Auditing Standards.
Action item:
- None
6. Presentation of 2023‐24 Internal Control Testing Results
Sébastien presented the 2023-24 Internal Control Testing Report. He highlighted that testing was performed on key controls over pay, controls implemented for the impact of the PSAC strike, and controls over the retroactive payments & updated rates of pay due to the implementation of new collective agreements. He indicated that the results of the testing show the internal controls are working well and there were minor recommendations related to the timely approval of documents and a specific issue was noted for the retro payments for a small number of employees in one specific classification. The report was approved.
Action item:
- None
7. Complainant Consultation – OIC Investigation Program
Layla presented the results of the Complainant Consultation. She indicated that the report made seven recommendations and that the OIC is planning to implement the recommendations to the greatest extent possible but due to some current IT limitations, it will not currently be possible to fully implement all of the recommendations.
Action item:
- Management Action Plan and Commissioner's message will be finalized in November
8. Corporate Services Update
Sébastien provided an update on OIC's 2024-25 funding situation. He highlighted the actions already taken to secure additional funding and the planned next steps.
Action item:
- None
9. Investigations Update
Layla presented the 2024/25 objectives for Investigations Sector and stated that the team is on-track to meet the objectives for the year. She highlighted the work undertaken to give investigators the training and tools needs to work independently and meet their objectives. She showed the progress that has been made over the last few years to deal with the inventory of complaints, in particular the reduction in older files. She explained that the performance indicators in areas that OIC can control is very good.
Action item:
- None
10. Legal Services Update
Natacha informed the members that the Legal Services team continues to support the Instigations team and deal with a high volume of active legal cases. She also provided some additional information on several upcoming legal cases.
Action item:
- None
11. Public Affairs Update
James informed members that the OIC Annual Report was published in June and the team has been assisting in securing additional funding. The team is also preparing for several meetings in the fall with key stakeholders.
Action item:
- None
In Camera Session
The session was performed.
Next Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for November 20th, 2024.