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Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Welcome

The Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts is one of ten permanent all-party committees of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The Committee reviews and reports to the Legislative Assembly on the audit reports of the Auditor General of British Columbia, providing a public forum for the scrutiny of the economy, effectiveness and efficiency of government organizations. The Committee also reviews the follow-up action plans by audited government organizations implementing report recommendations.

The Committee released their report entitled Summary of Activities 2018/19 on May 28, 2019.

On November 26, 2019, the Select Standing Committee on Public Account unanimously agreed to recommend the appointment of Russ Jones as Acting Auditor General, pursuant to section 7(1) of the Auditor General Act. On November 28, 2019, the Committee released their unanimous report to the Legislative Assembly.

Terms of Reference

​On February 21, 2019, the Legislative Assembly agreed:

  1. That all reports of the Auditor General of British Columbia transmitted to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly be deemed referred to the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, with the exception of the report referred to in section 22 of the Auditor General Act, RS.B.C. 2003, c. 2, which is referred to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services; and,
  2. That the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts be the committee referred to in sections 6, 7, 10, 13 and 14 of the Auditor General Act, S.B.C. 2003, c. 2.

In addition to the powers previously conferred upon the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the committee be empowered:

  1. to appoint of their number one or more subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the committee and to delegate to the subcommittee all or any of its powers except the power to report directly to the House;
  2. to sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during any sitting of the House;
  3. to adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; and
  4. to retain personnel as required to assist the committee;

and shall report to the House as soon as possible, or following any adjournment, or at the next following Session, as the case may be; to deposit the original of its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly during a period of adjournment and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, the Chair shall present all reports to the Legislative Assembly.

Contact Information

Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts
c/o Parliamentary Committees Office
Room 224, Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC V8V 1X4
Canada

Phone: 250-356-2933 (collect) or 1-877-428-8337 (toll-free)
Email: clerkcomm@leg.bc.ca

Members

Committee Reports

Committee Documents

Media Releases

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Meeting Documents

Follow Up Process

As part of its review of the audit reports of the Auditor General, the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts conducts an enhanced follow up process to monitor how government organizations are implementing the Office of the Auditor General’s recommendations.

Audited organizations are required to prepare and submit detailed action plans to assist Committee Members and the public in understanding the organizations’ plans for acting on the improvements suggested by the Auditor General. Action plans include reporting on what has been done to date, and when and how the organization plans to complete its response to the audit report. The Committee may also choose to request updates on any other matters related to the audit report.

Below you will find the government action plans presented during the Committee's meetings to review Office of the Auditor General audit reports.

Ministry of Education action plan, Progress Audit: The Education of Aboriginal Students in the B.C. Public School System (September 12, 2019)

BC Hydro action plan, Detection and Response to Cybersecurity Threats on BC Hydro's Industrial Control Systems (September 12, 2019)

Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources action plan, Rate-regulated Accounting at BC Hydro (April 23, 2019)

Ministry of Health action plan, Access to Emergency Health Services (April 23, 2019)

BC Oil and Gas Commission action plan, The BC Oil and Gas Commission's Management of Non-Operating Oil and Gas Sites (April 23, 2019)

Public Service Agency action plan, The Short Term Illness and Injury Plan (April 23, 2019)

Office of the Comptroller General action plan, Master Supplier File Maintenance (April 9, 2019)

Upcoming Meetings

Past Meetings