NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
A scathing report on how the Department of Education, Culture and Employment delivers four key social programs was presented to the legislative assembly by the office of the auditor general of Canada last Thursday.
The scheduled audit looked at four income security programs: the Income Assistance Program, the Student Financial Assistance Program, the Senior Home Heating Subsidy and the Child Care User Subsidy. Of the 65 files examined, 38 were found to have major discrepancies or flaws.
"We're very concerned and the department should be concerned too," Ronnie Campbell, assistant auditor general of Canada told News/North. "These are really important programs. They are programs that provide support to the most vulnerable people in society."
The Income Assistance program was deemed to have the most flaws, where 18 of the 20 audited files did not comply with government regulations. Many of the omissions were critical, such as a failure to confirm monthly or annual income for those who collect income assistance, said Campbell.
There were also inconsistencies found with how different officials applied the rules, meaning someone might qualify for support in one region but not in another, which is a cause for concern, he added.
The most discrepancies were found in remote communities, where there are fewer employees, greater distance and language barriers.
Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche said in his riding, constituents complain about the long wait times to find out if they qualify for support.
"In my region, the economy is depressed. It always has been - it's hard to get work," said Menicoche. Education, Culture and Employment Minister Jackson Lafferty said he was not surprised by the contents of the report. He said his department was well aware of the challenges in administering these programs and work is being done to turn things around.
"In dealing with small communities, with the remoteness, there are a lot of challenges," said Lafferty. "Community members and the elders, they tell us there has to be some flexibility."
Those who turn to these subsidy programs do so to keep food on the table and heat in their homes, which needs to remain the priority for those workers tasked with administrating the programs, he said.
However, Lafferty acknowledged the need for more training for workers and more support for those managing programs in isolated regions.
The department is working on an action plan to address the auditor general's recommendations which will be brought to a standing committee in April, said Lafferty.
