News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – In his report released today, auditor general Paul Martin provided an update on the status of the implementation of past recommendations at departments, agencies, and Crown corporations.

The report shows that entities have implemented only 60 per cent of recommendations. The auditor general finds this low implementation rate concerning.

“I am disappointed with the low rate of implementation of our past recommendations by some departments. We encourage departments, commissions, and Crown agencies to implement our recommendations in a timely manner.” said Martin.

Martin said this report is an important tool as it provides the province’s Public Accounts Committee and the public with information to hold government departments and Crown agencies accountable. The report includes status updates on recommendations from chapters in the 2016 to 2020 reports, with both self-reported and verified results for select chapters.

For the 2018 recommendations made to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development regarding improving student performance, the auditor general found that only 50 per cent of recommendations were implemented.

Of note, a recommendation to maintain the current 10-year provincial education plans until 2026, which would allow the education system to stabilize and allow evaluation of progress, was considered implemented at the time of the followup work.

“However, given the remaining timeline to 2026, it is not possible to determine if it will remain implemented,” said Martin.

Followup work for the 2018 chapter on Addiction and Mental Health Services in Provincial Correctional Facilities found that 72 per cent of recommendations were implemented, with work remaining in the area of transferring elements of responsibility from the Department of Justice and Public Safety to the Department of Health, and that responsibility for mental health services remains unclear.

In following up on recommendations from the 2018 reports on WorkSafe NB, the auditor general found that 80 per cent of recommendations made for the governance audit were implemented, while only 69 per cent of the recommendations from the work on Management of Injured Workers’ Claims have been implemented. For 2016 recommendations made to Public Trustee Services within the New Brunswick Legal Aid Services Commission, 70 per cent of recommendations have been implemented.

The Followup chapter is available online in Volume II of the auditor general’s 2022 report.