Program evaluations are not meeting government expectations

(Chapter 1—Evaluating the Effectiveness of Programs - Fall 2009 Report of the Auditor General)

Ottawa, 3 November 2009—Departments’ evaluations cover only a relatively low proportion of their total program spending, says the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, in her Report tabled today in the House of Commons. The audit looked at the evaluation of program effectiveness in six departments and at the Treasury Board Secretariat’s related oversight and support across government, including its development of the 2009 evaluation policy.

“Program evaluations can be a valuable source of information for decisions to change, improve, or replace programs,” said Ms. Fraser. “But departments we audited said they are concerned about whether they can meet expanded requirements under the 2009 policy.”

The audit found that although the Treasury Board Secretariat has created a centre of excellence for evaluation, it has not done enough to provide departments with the tools and support they need—for example, to help them with the long-standing problem of insufficient data on program performance. Often the audited departments had not gathered the information needed to evaluate program effectiveness. Of the 23 evaluation reports reviewed by the audit, 17 noted that inadequate data had limited the assessment of program effectiveness.

The Report notes that departments said it is a challenge to find enough experienced evaluators, and they have made extensive use of contractors to meet requirements. This makes it difficult to build the capacity to implement evaluation of all direct program spending.

“Despite four decades of efforts, evaluations are still not providing enough reliable evidence about whether program objectives are being met,” said Ms. Fraser.

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The chapter “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Programs” is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada website.

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