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.
鈥淚n a number of these areas, the results need to be better,鈥� Ferguson told CTV鈥檚 Power Play Tuesday. 鈥淎 number of the issues that we raised have been long-standing issues.鈥�
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 Ferguson鈥檚 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 wasn鈥檛 always documenting what happened to recalled products once they were pulled from shelves.
鈥淭hat concerned us, because that documentation is important,鈥� he told Power Play.
The audit also found that the CFIA struggles to follow up on routine recalls.
鈥淲e 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,鈥� Ferguson said.
A rail-safety audit completed before the deadly train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Que., last summer found 鈥渟ignificant weaknesses鈥� in Transport Canada鈥檚 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 general鈥檚 report found gaps in security at Canada鈥檚 entry points, which have allowed some dangerous people to slip into the country.
鈥淲e know in one sample of 49 that two people were successful getting into the country, people with serious criminal backgrounds,鈥� Ferguson said.
鈥淚n the sample, the numbers don鈥檛 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.鈥�
Ferguson said the Canadian Border Services Agency doesn鈥檛 always receive all information from airlines and other sources necessary to flag potential threats. But he also said that the agency 鈥渏ust needs to make sure it鈥檚 following its own practices a little more diligently.鈥�
Ferguson told Power Play that the national shipbuilding strategy 鈥渟hows promise,鈥� but it鈥檚 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
