2021 Reports 12 to 15 of the Auditor General of Canada—The Public Health Agency of Canada falls short on the enforcement of border control measures

2021 Reports 12 to 15 of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of CanadaThe Public Health Agency of Canada falls short on the enforcement of border control measures

Ottawa, 9 December 2021—Today, a report from Auditor General Karen Hogan, tabled in the House of Commons, concludes that the Public Health Agency of Canada improved its verification of traveller compliance with mandatory quarantine orders, but that significant gaps remained in the Agency’s administration of additional border control measures intended to limit the introduction into Canada of the COVID‑19 virus and its variants.

The audit found that the Agency was better able to track whether incoming travellers complied with quarantine orders compared to May and June 2020, when it did not know the status of 66% of incoming travellers. As of June 2021, the percentage of untracked incoming travellers had dropped to 37%. This improvement was tied to the move to collecting travellers’ contact information electronically rather than on paper.

“Though the Public Health Agency of Canada improved its results, this is not a success story”, stated Ms. Hogan. “The Agency’s inability to confirm whether more than a third travellers complied with quarantine orders remains a significant problem.”

The audit also found that the Public Health Agency of Canada did not adequately administer two new border control measures introduced in early 2021. The Agency was either missing or unable to match 30% of COVID‑19 test results to incoming travellers from February to June 2021. In addition, because the Agency did not have records of stay for 75% of travellers who flew into Canada, it did not know whether those who were required to quarantine at government authorized hotels had complied.

“With travel increasing and new variants continuing to emerge, the Agency needs to improve the way it manages and enforces border control measures that are meant to limit the introduction of the COVID-19 virus and its variants into Canada”, said Ms. Hogan.

The 2021 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada, Report 15—Enforcement of Quarantine and COVID-19 Testing Orders—Public Health Agency of Canada is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada website.

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