This Update article, based on the presentations CCAF is making to public accounts committees across Canada, outlines CCAF's five-part draft strategy for strengthening the effectiveness of public accounts committees (PACs).

Click here to view the presentation Maximizing the Effectiveness of Public Accounts Committees.

The findings of CCAF's recent research into public accounts committees is contained in our research report Parliamentary Oversight – Committees and Relationships – A Guide to Strengthening Public Accounts Committees. As part of that research, we asked the committees of all fourteen jurisdictions in Canada – federal, provincial and territorial – to complete a detailed survey on various aspects of their work.

Our research report, which is based on the responses to our survey, comprises several documents:

• the main report on strengthening PACs
• a guide for witnesses
• a set of frequently asked questions for how to prepare for hearings
• a generic statement of mandate and powers as well as operating principles and practices
• guidance on reporting and follow up, and
• a guide to assessing the impact and effectiveness of the PAC.

Drawing on the results of our research, in particular our findings and suggestions for strengthening the powers and practices of PACs, we have developed a draft strategy for improving the effectiveness of PACs.

We note that the success of a public accounts committee in the Westminster system of government is highly dependent upon such contingencies as:

• the electoral cycle
• electoral landslides
• politics
• the political nature of the issue being examined
• the knowledge and motivation of committee members
• the turnover of committee members
• the extent to which the committee follows up to ensure government implementation of the PAC's recommendations.

We believe our strategy can go some way to helping committees operate effectively in this highly complex environment. It consists of five parts:

• Laying the foundation: Preconditions for an effective PAC
• Setting an objective: Agreement on role of PAC to strengthen public administration
• Holding an effective hearing
• Issuing value-added recommendations and follow-up
• Explaining value-added to constituents.

Let's look briefly at our observations and suggestions for each of these in turn.

Laying the foundation: Preconditions for an effective PAC

Our research led us to conclude that certain underlying conditions must be in place for a PAC to be successful.

• A PAC must, within the scope of its powers and practices, be able to call meetings, meet outside the legislature's session and initiate inquiries.
• Committees must be chaired by an opposition member (with the exception of jurisdictions that have consensual government). This a standard practice in Commonwealth countries.
• PACs need to have regular and frequent meetings, and must allocate sufficient time to a hearing in order to be effective.
• Committees need adequate resources, such as financing and research and technical support.
• Reports of the legislative auditor must be permanently referred to the PAC, and there must be a strong working relationship between the PAC and the legislative auditor.

Setting an objective: Agreement on role of PAC to strengthen public administration

In an effective PAC, members are motivated by a common sense of mission. Historically, that mission is to strengthen public administration. In our view, PACs function most effectively when they work in a non-partisan way to strengthen public administration.

Planning is an important part of an effective PAC meeting. Useful planning activities include:

• the development of agendas and advance briefing notes
• the setting of clear objectives and workplans for hearings
• the use of subcommittees or steering committees to examine specific issues, and
• advance briefings with the legislative auditor.

Issues surrounding membership can influence the degree to which a PAC is able to function in a non-partisan fashion. These include:

• whether ministers are allowed to sit as members of the committee (they should not be)
• whether there is continuity on the committee (there should be), and
• whether members are considered to be non-partisan in their activities.

The role of the chair in setting an objective for the committee, consistent with its non-partisan mandate, is crucial. Turnover of chairs over the life of a legislature makes planning difficult.

The chair should command the respect of other members of the committee by being non-partisan, knowledgeable and experienced. The chair sets not only the broad framework for managing the accountability process but also the tone of debate.

The government's role should not be underestimated in the proper functioning of a PAC. The government should respect the autonomy of the PAC and maintain a distance from its operations.

Holding an effective hearing

To hold effective hearings, a PAC must have the power to call any witness necessary.

Factual and non-partisan information is key to holding the government to account. PACs should have access to cabinet documents and to government-wide ministry performance reports.

A committee looking for solutions to problems of public administration should engage bureaucrats in seeking solutions together in a non-partisan way. Ideally, in our view, a committee would make the bureaucrats feel they are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Issuing value-added recommendations and follow-up

PACs should have the power to:

• report substantially to the legislature
• make recommendations, and
• require the government to follow their recommendations.

Committees can add value to the accountability process by holding follow-up meetings with witnesses and issuing report cards on how well the government is implementing committee recommendations.

Explaining value-added to constituents

Effective committees reach beyond the legislature to communicate their results to the media and public. They can do so by issuing news releases, holding televised hearings and/or webcasting their sessions.

We have identified a need for more thinking on how committees can engage the general public in a more comprehensive manner. One suggestion is that committees could employ a non-partisan communications service to break down the often highly technical work the PAC does into language that constituents can understand.

Next steps

As noted above, we are briefing public accounts committees across Canada about the results of our research and our draft strategy. At the same time, we are inviting each committee to think about how it can adapt the strategy to meet committee objectives. And we are offering to provide additional advice and support to help strengthen PACs, based on the knowledge we have gained through our research.

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