Nova Scotia April 2020 Inquiry Designated Department

Summary#

The government formally treated the commission called the Joint Public Inquiry into the Nova Scotia April 2020 Tragedy as a “department” under the Financial Administration Act. The order also names the Prime Minister as the minister responsible. The order was made as P.C. 2020-823 on October 21, 2020 and published in the Canada Gazette on November 11, 2020.

What it does#

• Designates the Joint Public Inquiry into the Nova Scotia April 2020 Tragedy as a department for the purposes of the Financial Administration Act.
• Names the Prime Minister as the “appropriate Minister” responsible for that commission.
• This means the commission will be treated, for federal financial and administrative rules covered by the Financial Administration Act, like other federal departments.

Who's affected#

• People working for or with the Joint Public Inquiry into the Nova Scotia April 2020 Tragedy, including its staff and contractors.
• Federal departments that handle budgeting, payments, audits or reporting related to the inquiry.
• Families, survivors, legal teams and members of the public who follow the inquiry indirectly, because the change affects how its finances and administrative matters are handled.
• If it is unclear who else might be affected, because the order is mainly an administrative designation rather than a policy decision.

Why it matters#

• The change brings the inquiry under standard federal financial rules. That affects how money for the inquiry is approved, spent, audited and reported.
• Naming the Prime Minister as the responsible minister sets which part of government oversees those administrative and financial matters.
• For most people, this is an administrative step. But it can matter to those tracking how public money for the inquiry is managed and overseen.