William
Warren Munroe
763 Beach
Road,
Qualicum
Beach BC, V9K 1S2
January 18,
2019
Michael Ferguson
Auditor General
Office of the Auditor General of Canada
240 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G6 Canada
via mail and online form (abridged)
Regarding:
access to analysis completed by civil servants in reports to Finance Canada
Dear Mr.
Ferguson,
Thank you
for raising awareness about the importance of returning to a first principals’
approach – to “access any analysis that is done in the course of preparing
recommendations to Cabinet” [1]
Please be
aware, provincial government officials provided false information to Statistics
Canada (STC) found in STC’s report to Finance Canada addressing possible
refinements to Canada’s Equalization Payments programme.[2] The
false reporting was not discovered until 2012.[3]
My concern
is, provincial or territorial civil servants may continue to provide analysis
containing false information to Statistics Canada included in reports to
Finance Canada. Also
of concern is that false reporting may again be endorsed by
Statistics Canada as being of “better quality” than Statistics Canada’s
information without verification.[4]
Are you able to access analysis included in STC’s reports to
Finance Canada? In particular, analysis by provincial or territorial government
civil servants included in studies conducted by Statistics Canada reporting to
Finance Canada.
Sincerely,
William
Warren Munroe
cc:
Carol Bellringer, British Columbia Auditor General
[1] Need to refer to first principals, May 16, 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB-rjoLUe8I, as per the Auditor General Act, https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/A-17/page-2.html#h-5 section 7 (1) (b),
[2] "Compare BC Statistics’ methods and data used during the feasibility study (2004 - 2005) described in “GENERALIZATION ESTIMATION SYSTEM (GES) Small Area Population Estimation, Method and Error Evaluation” BC Stats, August 2011, (GES 2011) p.8. with The Equalization Program and the Property Tax Base: Feasibility Study Conducted by Statistics Canada", February 28, 2005, p. 63
[3] Replies from government officials and elected representatives have yet to address this problem. My letter to the Minister of Finance (December 2015) did not receive a reply. The reply to my letter to the PM (February 2018) was dismissive. For more information go to www.wminfomatics/WP/home.htlml, scroll to dates given.
[4] As was the case in the 2005 feasibility study, explained in my letter to Public Prosecutors, Public Prosecution Service of Canada http://wminfomatics.com/WP/Articles/2017/171214/CrownProsecutor1q.pdf.