The completed capabilities assessment tool was then piloted in three CARD councils that volunteered for the pilot. Information was gathered through individual interviews with council members, council staff and federal ex officio members. The results were compiled and the capabilities of the three pilot CARD councils were compared with research data gathered by the Conference Board of Canada over several decades on the capabilities of private and public sector boards of directors. Because participants answered the questions from their own experience, the results reflect perceptions only. 24.25 Pilot assessment results suggest that CARD councils are generally strong, with some areas that need improvement.
Members view their councils as generally well governed.
Federal ex officio members and the councils' staffs essentially concur in the assessment of the strengths of the councils overall, with some modest differences of opinion on specific strengths and weaknesses. There was considerable similarity among councils in their capabilities. Further, given that the CARD councils were created quite recently, they compared favourably with established benchmarks for Canadian private and public sector boards of directors. The results of the project suggest that the Department could find this or a similar tool useful in regularly assessing council capabilities. The Department should incorporate the use of a capabilities assessment tool in its monitoring of program delivery by Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development councils.