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Crown Agencies Exempt |
| Crown Agencies exempt from the application of section 13 [service plans] of the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act | |
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Statement of the Minister of Finance under section 24(3) of the
Budget Transparency and Accountability Act.
As required by 24(3) of the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act(BTAA), this statement is to provide
the reasons for the Minister of Finance recommending the following:
New Additions to the Government Reporting Entity
A regulation has been enacted under which the following associations are being added to the government reporting entity:
- Health Employers Association of British Columbia;
- Community Social Services Employers' Association of British Columbia (CSSEA);
- British Columbia Public School Employers' Association;
- The Post-Secondary Employers' Association.
Last year, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) stated in their Observations on Financial
Reporting: Summary Financial Statements 2009/10 report that the above-noted associations
should have been included in government's Summary Financial Statements. Upon review, staff
in the Financial Reporting and Advisory Services Branch of the Office of the Comptroller
General concurred with the OAG's recommendation as they determined that the associations
are controlled by government under generally accepted accounting principles. As none of these
associations meets the Financial Administration Act definition of a government corporation
(less than half of their respective boards of directors are appointed by government) each must
be added to the government reporting entity by regulation to ensure that their legal status is
consistent with their accounting status.
New Exemptions from Service Plan and Annual Service Plan Report Requirements
A regulation has been enacted under which the following associations are receiving an exemption
from the application of section 13 [service plans] and section 16 [annual service plan reports] of
the BTAA:
- Health Employers Association of British Columbia;
- Community Social Services Employers' Association of British Columbia (CSSEA);
- British Columbia Public School Employers' Association;
- The Post-Secondary Employers' Association.
The primary purposes of each of the associations are to coordinate and conduct collective
bargaining, coordinate compensation for exempt employees, and support employers in the areas
of benefit administration and human resource practices. Accordingly, information regarding
their specific goals, objectives, and performance measures is sensitive and the public release of
this information as required under sections 13 and 16 of the BTAA would likely jeopardize their
ability to fulfill their functions. The public will be able to access general information regarding
the associations as reported in the service plans and annual reports of the Responsible Ministry
(i.e., the Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development).
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