List of All Federal Reports To Parliament

In a few earlier Library Boy posts, I described some of the reports that examine, audit and help control the operations of the Canadian government:

• Canadian Government Audit and Evaluation Reports (Sept. 5, 2006): "Several hundred records of findings are added to the database each year, including information from evaluations, audits, manager-led reviews, self- assessments and continuous performance measurement systems. This information is always being updated".
• Government Accountability Resources (August 28, 2006): "Of course, we all know the Office of the Auditor-General of Canada that regularly provides detailed information on the financial administration of the government of Canada. (...) In the Canadian federal sector, departments and agencies also have to submit Departmental Performance Reports to the Treasury Board Secretariat. They of course also file annual reports to Parliament".

The parliamentary website features the complete List of Reports and Returns that government departments must table in the House of Commons.

As the Explanatory Note indicates:

"The List of Reports and Returns brings together in one convenient location the reports and other documents that must be tabled in the House of Commons under federal legislation in force on April 3, 2006. The List does not indicate whether a particular document has been tabled in a timely manner. It simply identifies the document until Parliament has repealed the statutory provision that requires it to be tabled. Most of the documents are to be filed by a minister. The List of Reports and Returns sets out each minister in alphabetical order based on how the minister is identified in the statutory provision that requires the report to be tabled...

...we have also included documents that are to be tabled by parliamentary committees and various House officials, including the Speaker."

These reports can frequently be wonderful sources for background material, analyses, topical bibliographies, lists of statutes on specific subjects, etc.