Global Affairs Canada has not been properly tracking the outcome of approximately $3.5 billion spent on projects to advance gender equality abroad, the Auditor General says in one of her latest reports.
It looked at the department’s Feminist International Assistance Policy that was launched in 2017 and applies to all its foreign aid programs.
The AG found that 24 of the 26 indicators created by the department to monitor progress against policy goals did not measure outcomes.
The report also notes the difficulty of obtaining documents on the projects from the department, something that was raised in a previous audit in 2021.
In some instances there are no standardized procedures for storing and maintaining project information, and in others key information is kept on the personal computer drives of employees who have since moved on, wrote the AG.
In the event where GAC provided full information on projects, the AG found that progress reports could not be readily found.
Hogan also found the department only met one of three spending commitments outlined in its feminist policy.
“This makes it impossible for the department to accurately account for the outcomes of funded projects,” she wrote.
At a press conference in Ottawa on March 27, International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said he “absolutely” agrees his department must improve its administrative processes, in reference to the report.
“Improving our reporting is imperative for transparency, accountability, and also for decision making,” he said, noting that work to that end is underway.
While recognizing the need for improvement, Sajjan defended the results delivered by GAC by noting he had seen firsthand some of the funded projects.
“When I was in Bangladesh, I visited one of the slums there and learned about how Canadian funding is supporting menstrual health education ... our efforts are reducing cultural stigma around using feminine hygiene product,” he said.
“This means we are supporting girls to stay in school and reducing barriers for women to work.”
Conservative MP and critic for international development Garnett Genuis says Hogan’s report shows that Liberals are not serious about delivering on their gender equality promises.
He also criticized Sajjan for agreeing with the report’s findings yet providing his accounts as a gauge of success.
“It’s a pure guess what the impact is because the Auditor General has shown that the government isn’t measuring the results,” Genuis said at a press conference in Ottawa.
Other reports released by the AG on March 27 cover the accessibility of transportation for persons with disabilities, broadband and wireless coverage in rural areas, and the renovation of Parliament’s Centre Block.
