Release of new S&T Strategy prompts Auditor General to cancel audit on 1996 version

Now examining intellectual property

Nearly four years of work by the Office of the Auditor General (AG) on Canada's 1996 science and technology strategy has been abandoned following the release of a new S&T framework earlier this year (R$, May 31/07). The decision by the AG to cancel the audit was made over the summer at the highest levels, meaning that federal strategic S&T policy as a total package was never subject to auditing oversight over its 11-year lifespan.

The chapter examining the commitments made in the 1996 strategy — Science & Technology for the New Century: A Federal Strategy — was slated to be a chapter in the AG's 2007 report, released on October 30. The AG decided instead to launch a new audit on intellectual property (IP) that should be complete in about 18 months.

According to AG officials, the government's new S&T strategy — Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage — rendered the old strategy largely irrelevant, prompting the decision to shelve the audit and choose another topic to which the AG could add significant value. An audit on IP may provide the AG with an opportunity to examine IP-related issues contained within the new strategy.

late-stage cancellations rare

It is not uncommon for audits to be delayed for a variety of reasons but it is rare for a chapter to be cancelled at such a late stage of development. The S&T strategy audit began four years ago and was subject to a number of delays due to factors such as numerous shifts in direction and personnel changes.

Earlier this year, a new team was brought in to refocus the audit and push it through to completion, despite the knowledge that a new strategy was set for release.

"With the release of the new Science and Technology Strategy by this government, we did some soul searching and decided not to proceed with the existing audit," says assistant Auditor General Nancy Cheng. "We decided to give the subject a bit of time and re-launch it at the right moment. so we pulled ourselves off the production schedule (to be included in the October/07 report)."

At one point, the AG considered switching its focus from the 1996 strategy to the Innovation Agenda launched under the Liberal government and led by Industry minister Alan Rock. But that, too, led to a dead end.

"The innovation strategy was more of a party platform as opposed to a true government document," says Cheng. "At one point we thought we were auditing against that but the path we took was to audit the government against the 1996 strategy."

In its most recent incarnation, the AG audit also included an examination of more recent advisory bodies such as the Office of the National Science Advisor and federal grants and contributions for S&T. It was also examining S&T and R&D initiatives contained in the last federal Budget including the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (R$, March 26 & October 10/07).

The 1996 strategy was notable for the introduction of Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC), the Advisory Council on Science and Technology (ACST), external advisory bodies for science-based departments and the government's on-line Strategis database. It also marked a serious effort to make federal S&T assets work together as an integrated whole, based upon seven broad principles (R$, March 27/96).

Since that time, TPC was cancelled and its aerospace and defence assistance functions were revamped under the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (R$, April 10/07).

ACST has also been disbanded — along with the Council of S&T Advisors and the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee —and replaced with the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (R$, June 18 & October 29/07). The Strategis website has been folded into the Industry Canada website.

Attempts to integrate federal S&T functions are ongoing, complicated by the recent decision to examine the benefits of transferring federal laboratories to universities or the private sector.

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