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Bill C-373

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1st Session, 36th Parliament,
46-47 Elizabeth II, 1997-98

The House of Commons of Canada

BILL C-373

An Act to provide for evaluations of statutory programs

      Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Statutory Program Evaluation Act.

INTERPRETATION

Definitions

2. The definitions in this section apply in this Act.

``evaluation cycle''
« cycle d'évalua-
tion »

``evaluation cycle'' means the number of years between an initial evaluation and a subsequent evaluation of a statutory program.

``evaluation year''
« exercice d'évalua-
tion »

``evaluation year'' means the initial evaluation year and the years in which subsequent evaluations are to be held pursuant to section 3.

``expendi-
ture''
« dépense »

``expenditure'' means a payment of public funds made under the authority of any Act of Parliament.

``government evaluation standards''
« normes gouverne-
mentales d'évalua-
tion »

``government evaluation standards'' means standards of carrying out an evaluation of a statutory program, established by the President of the Treasury Board pursuant to section 4.

``program''
« program-
me »

``program'' means a service, payment, protection or other benefit for the public or to serve a common purpose for defined individuals or organizations that is authorized by or pursuant to an Act of Parliament

      (a) for which an expenditure is made, or

      (b) for which money is collected from individuals or organizations or a class of individuals or organizations to provide a service, payment, protection or benefit for the same or different individuals or organizations or the same or a different class of individuals or organizations

    in more than one fiscal year and includes the administration of the service, payment, protection or other benefit, but does not include

      (c) the general administration of the Government or a department of the Government mentioned in Schedule I of the Financial Administration Act;

      (d) Parliament;

      (e) the courts; or

      (f) any part of the operation of a Crown corporation or parent Crown corporation mentioned in Schedule II or III of the Financial Administration Act.

``program evaluation''
« évaluation de programme »

``program evaluation'' means the evaluation of a statutory program in conformity with Government evaluation standards to determine

      (a) whether it is still required;

      (b) its effectiveness in meeting its objectives;

      (c) the efficiency by which it is delivered; and

      (d) whether its purpose could be better fulfilled by different means.

``statutory program''
« programme législatif »

``statutory program'' means a program for which expenditure is authorized by an Act of Parliament, other than an appropriation Act, for a year or years subsequent to the year in which the Act was enacted.

PROGRAM EVALUATION

Program evaluation cycle

3. (1) The President of the Treasury Board shall, by order,

    (a) within six months after the coming into force of this Act, for every statutory program under which an expenditure has been made prior to the commencement of this Act, prescribe a fiscal year no later than the seventh fiscal year after the commencement of this Act as an initial evaluation year for the statutory program and, subject to subsections (2) and (3), prescribe the evaluation cycle for the statutory program; and

    (b) within six months after the coming into force of an Act authorizing a statutory program for which the first expenditure is made on or after the commencement of this Act, prescribe a fiscal year no later than the seventh fiscal year after the first expenditure under the statutory program as an initial evaluation year for the statutory program and, subject to subsections (2) and (3), prescribe the evaluation cycle for the statutory program.

Maximum period of cycle

(2) The evaluation cycle of a statutory program shall not exceed ten years.

Special evaluation

(3) Notwithstanding any evaluation cycle set pursuant to this section, the House of Commons may, by order, following the recommendation of a committee of the House, require a program evaluation of a statutory program at a time specified in the order.

Standards

4. The President of the Treasury Board shall consult with experts in the private and public sector respecting accepted professional standards for program evaluations and, taking into account such professional standards, shall, by order, establish Government evaluation standards.

Criteria for setting evaluation cycle

5. In setting an initial evaluation year and evaluation cycle for a statutory program, the President of the Treasury Board shall, so far as is practicable, set program evaluation cycles according to the following criteria:

    (a) no more than 20 per cent and no less than 10 per cent of all statutory programs should be subject to evaluation under this Act in any fiscal year;

    (b) initial evaluation dates should be set for statutory programs so as to maintain, for each department of Government, a similar amount of responsibility to carry out evaluations in every year; and

    (c) no more than one of the five statutory programs involving the greatest expenditure should be evaluated in any one year.

Discontinued programs

6. (1) A statutory program that is discontinued before the commencement of an initial evaluation year is subject to evaluation under this Act in the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which it was discontinued.

Discontinued programs

(2) A statutory program that is discontinued between evaluation years shall be subject to a final evaluation in the year following its discontinuance if required by the House of Commons pursuant to subsection 3(3).

Evaluation of program by Minister

7. (1) The Minister responsible for the administration of a statutory program shall cause an evaluation for the program to be prepared covering the period described in subsections (2) and (3).

Start of evaluation period

(2) The evaluation period shall start

    (a) at the end of the period covered by the previous evaluation of the statutory program; or

    (b) if no previous program evaluation has been carried out, at the start of the statutory program or ten years before the end of the evaluation period, whichever is the later date.

End of evaluation period

(3) The evaluation period shall end at the end of the fiscal year preceding the evaluation year.

Evaluation laid before House of Commons

(4) The Minister shall ensure that the program evaluation is completed within one hundred and fifty days after the end of the evaluation year and shall lay it before the House of Commons on one of the first thirty days on which the House sits following its completion.

REVIEW BY AUDITOR GENERAL

Review of evaluation by Auditor General

8. (1) The Auditor General of Canada may review any program evaluation and submit a report on it to the House of Commons.

Programs over $250 million a year

(2) In the case of a program evaluation covering a statutory program under which the average annual disbursement in the three fiscal years preceding the evaluation has been more than two hundred and fifty million dollars, the Auditor General of Canada shall review the program evaluation and submit a report on it to the House of Commons.

Method of reporting

(3) A report on a program evaluation by the Auditor General of Canada made under this Act shall be submitted to the House of Commons in the same manner and at any time the Auditor General of Canada may make a report to the House under the Auditor General Act.

STANDING COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

Standing committee consideration

9. After being laid before the House, a program evaluation and any report of the Auditor General of Canada that refers to it may be referred to such standing committee of the House as the House may name for the purpose, and the committee shall take the evaluation and report under consideration and may hold public hearings if the House so orders.

Response by Government

10. A report by a standing committee under section 9 shall be deemed to be accompanied by a request for a response by the Government pursuant to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons.

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