Feds urged auditors to refocus Aboriginal jobs program review, documents show
OTTAWA — Federal officials asked the auditor general earlier this year to adjust the scope of his review of a key Indigenous skills training program, fearful the audit would miss its mark.
Michael Ferguson’s teams are focused on how effective two Indigenous employment programs are at helping people find work — a measure that Employment and Social Development Canada argued takes too narrow a view.
In a July 14 letter sent to the lead auditor, a department official argued a change in focus was needed because zeroing in on whether participants got jobs “may not fully consider the objectives of the Indigenous labour market programs.”
The letter urged Ferguson’s team to change its audit plan to “reflect the objective of continuous growth and learning,” reads the letter obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.