Roundup: The Auditor General is not infallible

Posted on by

I have to say that I am both amused and irritated by the number of stories out over the past couple of days about the Conservatives supposedly “defending” the Auditor General, or that there is a “battle brewing” between the AG and the Canada Revenue Agency because they didn’t agree with her calculations around some of the benefits or whom she believed were receiving them on a fraudulent basis. For one, the Conservatives didn’t come to her defence—it was a bit of cheap theatre for them to suddenly start screaming that the government somehow attacked her independence and therefore “democracy itself” (no, seriously, they said that) because the revenue minister said that the CRA didn’t agree with her calculations, and then cheekily added that it wasn’t her fault because the opposition was forcing her to do the audit (which is partially true—it was the compromise that they insisted on to pass the emergency COVID legislation back at the start of the pandemic, so the mandate was legislated, but because they demanded it).

My bigger problem is the fact that this disagreement is somehow scandalising because we have an unhealthy veneration of Officers of Parliament and the Auditor General most especially in this country. A virtual cult has been built around them, particularly by media, who love nothing more than watching the AG go to town on criticising the government of the day, no matter which stripe of government it is, and they will uncritically believe absolutely everything the AG says because they are independent, and therefore must be inherently credible. There are similar problems with this lack of critical engagement with the Parliamentary Budget Officer (and the current one has been a real problem around that, as he picks methodologies out of thin air), and again, his word is gospel. But they’re not infallible. The previous AG ballsed up the Senate audit really badly, and it was an absolute mess, but nobody wanted to talk about it because you can’t badmouth the Auditor General. It’s like a cardinal sin in this city. And departments should be allowed to have disagreements, because the AG isn’t going to get it right every time. That’s just a physical impossibility, and we should acknowledge that fact, but as we see, when it happens, it’s like heresy. People need to grow up, and media needs to be more critical of these Officers, because media is the only check they have.

Ukraine Dispatch, Day 288:

Kyiv’s mayor is warning people that while there is no need to evacuate at present, it could become necessary if Russian strikes continue on critical infrastructure over the winter. There are some concerns around movements inside of Belarus, but it is also suspected this may be a decoy and an information operation to keep Ukrainian troops near that border rather than at the front lines. Elsewhere, here is the harrowing tale of a Ukrainian father who was separated from his children by Russians while trying to flee Mariupol, and his ordeal in getting them back from Russian hands.

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1600404008463523841

Good reads:

  • At the COP15 biodiversity summit, Justin Trudeau announced $800 million for Indigenous-led conservation projects, and progress on the “30 by 30” plan.
  • Trudeau also said the government is re-examining the contract for RCMP equipment given to a company owned by a Chinese telecommunications firm.
  • François-Philippe Champagne tabled amendments to the Investment Canada Act to tighten reviews of foreign investments in strategically-important sectors.
  • Karina Gould says 35,000 people have applied for the new dental benefit since the programme opened a week ago.
  • Of course there were visa issues with the COP15 summit, but this time it looks like the issues may have been at the UN-end and not the Canadian bureaucracy.
  • Assembly of First Nations chiefs came together to unanimously support a motion on getting the $20 billion in compensation for on-reserve child welfare to survivors.
  • Senators have made a “surgical” amendment to the broadcasting bill in order to limit its effect on user-generated content, given the criticism of the language to date.
  • Journalists told a House of Commons committee that they have stopped using the Access to Information system because it’s too broken at this point.
  • Liberal MP for Yukon, Brendan Hanley, is opposed to the current round of amendments to the gun control bill given how it could affect hunting rifles.
  • Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi is also “seriously considering” running for leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.
  • First Nations leaders in Ontario want the bill that allows development in the Greenbelt repealed because they were not consulted on it.
  • First Nations chiefs in Alberta and Saskatchewan want the “Sovereignty Act” and “Saskatchewan First Act” withdrawn, as they infringe on inherent and treaty rights.
  • Danielle Smith has used her majority to ram through the “Sovereignty Act” bill, and introduced her vote-buying “inflation-fighting” bill.
  • Kevin Carmichael gives his assessment of the Bank of Canada’s statement as they raised interest rates another 50 basis points, but possibly for the last time.
  • Heather Scoffield looks at what the government may need to do about inflation or its effects if the Bank of Canada has indeed finished raising rates.

Odds and ends:

Want more Routine Proceedings? Become a patron and get exclusive new content.