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2002 December Report of the Auditor General of Canada

December 2002 Report—Chapter 9

Exhibit 9.7—Shared accountability

In partnering arrangements, there are at least three kinds of accountability relationships:

• accountability among the partners;
• accountability between each partner and its own governing body—in the case of the federal government, Parliament; and
• accountability to the arrangement's joint co-ordinating body, in many cases.

The last may involve accountability to the public when the federal and provincial governments jointly agree to report to the public.

In a federal/provincial collaborative arrangement, for example, accountability for the federal government means it must credibly demonstrate to Parliament in a timely manner

• the extent to which objectives of the collaborative arrangement and those of the federal government are being achieved;
• the fairness, propriety, and good stewardship of the federal actions and strategies;
• a reasonable assessment of the federal contribution to the achievements, namely, to what extent it has made a difference; and
• the learning achieved through the arrangement.

Furthermore, the federal partner is responsible for

• organizing and managing the relationships with its partners so that it can obtain necessary information, monitor results, and make (or require) adjustments as needed; and
• ensuring that risks taken were reasonable and that partners' capabilities were adequately taken into account.