Changes enacted through Bill C-65 had a significant impact on the federal government and resulted in payments to provinces being more consistent with the principles of the program. The Department devoted considerable effort to improve service to clients and manage the program more effectively. For example, the procedures used to estimate mispayments now provide more realistic estimates than at the time of the audit in 1996. There was also significant progress by several departments in their management and control of acquisition cards and in managing risks for systems under development . In other cases, the Auditor General is concerned about the length of time it is taking to address problems he identified years ago.
Problems persist in certain areas for a variety of reasons.
Although the Department has made some efforts, its property information system is still unable to provide key information to manage its properties. Renewing Government Services Using Information Technology. Over the past three years, progress has been slow with few visible results. This is partly due to the priority given to the Year 2000 computer problem. The Auditor General recognizes the positive impact of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts in the efforts made by the government in taking positive action on his recommendations.