The latest report from auditor general Michael Ferguson highlights problems with a number of federal departments dealing with safety and security, including railway oversight and large-scale food recalls.
âIn a number of these areas, the results need to be better,â Ferguson told CTVâs Power Play Tuesday. âA number of the issues that we raised have been long-standing issues.â
You can read the full report
The government has issued a response to the audit, and you can read that .
Here are the highlights of Fergusonâs audit:
A massive recall of beef products from Alberta-based XL Foods in September 2012 exposed serious problems with how the Canadian Food Inspection Agency handles such situations, according to the audit.
Ferguson said his office audited the recall process, not food inspections themselves, and found that the CFIA wasnât always documenting what happened to recalled products once they were pulled from shelves.
âThat concerned us, because that documentation is important,â he told Power Play.
The audit also found that the CFIA struggles to follow up on routine recalls.
âWe felt that there was confusion with the agency, who was making decisions and also some confusion between the agency and the companies involved in those recalls,â Ferguson said.
A rail-safety audit completed before the deadly train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Que., last summer found âsignificant weaknessesâ in Transport Canadaâs oversight of federal railways.
Ferguson told a news conference Tuesday that there is a lack of knowledge of rail routes used to transport dangerous goods, a lack of safety auditors and problems with poorly trained inspectors.
The auditor generalâs report found gaps in security at Canadaâs entry points, which have allowed some dangerous people to slip into the country.
âWe know in one sample of 49 that two people were successful getting into the country, people with serious criminal backgrounds,â Ferguson said.
âIn the sample, the numbers donât sound large, but these samples were over a short period of time and if you extrapolate that over a longer period of time and the number of people trying to get into the country, the results are concerning.â
Ferguson said the Canadian Border Services Agency doesnât always receive all information from airlines and other sources necessary to flag potential threats. But he also said that the agency âjust needs to make sure itâs following its own practices a little more diligently.â
Ferguson told Power Play that the national shipbuilding strategy âshows promise,â but itâs too early to tell how it will play out.
The audit found that the procurement process was efficient and transparent, but raised concerns with the $26 billion budget cap set for procuring 15 ships.
Ferguson said that cap may not be sufficient.
With files from The Canadian Press