The Conservatives have leaked a February draft of the Auditor General’s report. It differs from the January draft in language used, but the concerns are still there.

In our view, by presenting the request for funding in this way the government was not transparent about its purpose. Parliament was not provided with a clear explanation of the nature of the approval being sought or that these expenditures would not be required to meet the pre-existing terms and conditions of the Border Infrastructure Fund…

We are concerned by the lack of documentation around the process for selecting projects for funding . Supporting documentation is important, in our view, to show that the selection process was transparent and provided a mechanism for accountability. When the Treasury Board approved Infrastructure Canada’s submission for the G8 infrastructure program, it stated that the Treasury Board Policy on Transfer Payments be respected . Under this policy there should be selection criteria because any expenditure of public funds should demonstrate transparency, accountability, and value for money.