Office of the Auditor General Report: The Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct—Annual Report 2022 to 2023

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is leading the restoration and modernization of the historic Centre Block and the broader Parliamentary Precinct through the Long Term Vision and Plan. As a major public investment, the Auditor General of Canada undertook a study of PSPC’s management of the project and tabled its findings to Parliament in its Spring 2023 report on March 27, 2023.

The Auditor General found that PSPC is effectively managing the cost, scope and schedule of the project—the largest and most complex of its kind ever undertaken in Canada. The Auditor General recognized the department for using flexible approaches to effectively manage the planning, design, and early construction phases of the project, while acknowledging the department’s efforts to work closely with its partners, stakeholders and external experts. This included consultations to incorporate sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity elements while balancing heritage attributes of the building and site, visitor experience, security, and cultural and Indigenous values in this multifaceted program of work.

Building on a 2010 Auditor General report (PDF) on the rehabilitation of the Parliament Buildings, the Auditor General again highlighted the fragmented decision-making and accountability framework that exists between the executive and legislative branches of government. The Auditor General noted that this posed a risk to project delays and budget increases due to its impact on the speed of decision making in determining parliamentary requirements, and potential scope changes downstream.

The audit made three recommendations designed to build on existing departmental efforts:

• In support of enhanced governance and improved decision-making, table a program update to the Speakers of the Senate and House of Commons twice per year, outlining key risks and mitigation measures, significant changes and key decisions required by Parliament
• Although the Auditor General noted that PSPC had completed a Gender-based Analysis Plus for the Long Term Vision and Plan, of which the Centre Block forms part, the Auditor General recommended that PSPC undertake a Gender-based Analysis Plus assessment more specifically focused on the Centre Block rehabilitation program to ensure the Centre Block is an inclusive space that represents the rich diversity of Canadians; and
• To provide timely information to all Canadians, publish the Long Term Vision and Plan Annual Report within the calendar year

The department agrees with these recommendations and is taking action on all three recommendations within this calendar year. As an update at time of publishing, the first semi-annual update to Parliament was provided to the Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons in October, a Gender-based Analysis Plus assessment for the Centre Block rehabilitation program has been completed, and the posting of this annual report was completed prior to the end of the calendar year.