2007 February Status Report of the Auditor General of Canada

The heritage conservation regime for departments

2.35 The government should strengthen its conservation regime for built heritage by

• establishing overall objectives for conservation of built heritage,
• setting priorities for conservation and monitoring organizations activities,
• covering all elements of built heritage of custodian departments,
• combining the functions of designation and conservation, and
• reporting to Parliament on the results of conservation activities.
  (2.19–2.34)

The government has responded. The government agrees that its conservation regime for built heritage should be strengthened.

Parks Canada Agency is responsible for built heritage programs and historic places in Canada. The Agency has developed a policy proposal that would address this recommendation. The proposal includes legislative requirements, including statutory protection of national historic sites, federal heritage buildings and archaeological resources on federal land, and would provide a mechanism to link designation with financial resources required for conservation. Overall objectives and means of reporting on those objectives would also be clearer.

The new Policy on Management of Real Property, approved in June 2006 by the Treasury Board, adopts an integrated approach to the management of federal real property and requires that the heritage character of federal buildings be respected and conserved throughout their life cycle. It emphasizes the accountability of Deputy Ministers with respect to the management of real property and requires departments to measure and document performance. Accountability for conservation must rest with the custodian department and conservation plans should be integrated as part of the department's overall strategic investment planning process. To support implementation of the policy, a Managers' Handbook for real property is expected to be available by June 2007. The Policy will be monitored and updated as appropriate to reflect developments related to Parks Canada new legislation.

2.36 Federal departments and agencies should set conservation objectives for built heritage for themselves, and should let Parliament know that performance information is accessible.
(2.19–2.34)

The Department of National Defence. The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces are committed to working with the Treasury Board Secretariat, Parks Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), and others to implement a more integrated approach to managing and reporting on or built heritage portfolio.

Parks Canada Agency has responded. Parks Canada Agency accepts the Auditor General's recommendation. The Agency has set conservation objectives and reports on these to Parliament. The Agency's objectives include ensuring the commemorative integrity of national historic sites, respect for and conservation of the heritage character of federal heritage buildings, and appropriate management of archaeological sites and other cultural resources.

The Agency's management and monitoring systems include preparation of management plans, commemorative integrity statements, and commemorative integrity evaluations for all national historic sites. The Agency is on track with each of these three management tools, having completed management plans for 87 percent of sites by the December 2006 deadline. The Agency continues to follow up on the results of the commemorative integrity evaluations, to ensure that actions are taken to address shortcomings.

The Agency also sets goals for the management of cultural resources in its care outside national historic sites. It is currently working on more complete and cohesive systems to monitor and report on the condition of these resources, including federal heritage buildings.

All of this information is reported annually to Parliament in the Parks Canada Agency performance report.

Public Works and Government Services Canada has responded. The Department agrees with this recommendation and will collaborate with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to establish an appropriate level of reporting to Parliament.

The Department will also continue its ongoing efforts to improve its compliance to the Treasury Board Real Property Administration Policy as it relates to federal built heritage. PWGSC's Real Property Branch has already made progress in ensuring a consistent application of the policy and establishing the capacity to report on its compliance activities.

The Treasury Board Secretariat has responded. The Treasury Board Secretariat agrees that departments and agencies should set their conservation objectives. Parks Canada Agency reports on its conservation objectives and activities to Parliament. Other departments may decide to make the results of their conservation activities publicly available, and when they constitute a significant element of the core mandate and business of the department or agency, to include such information in Departmental Performance Reports that are tabled in Parliament. Treasury Board Secretariat will continue to provide to departments general guidance on reporting to Parliament.