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COMMENTARY: Looking beyond IRAC: A better way to evaluate public organizations

Recently, I had the opportunity to provide a written submission to the body reviewing the Island Regulatory and Appeal Commission (IRAC). While some of my comments were based on my experience as mayor of the Rural Municipality of Victoria, I made the submission in my personal capacity, drawing on many years working in public administration, governance and public sector auditing.

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My hope is that the ideas I shared will be useful not only in reviewing IRAC but also in thinking about how many public organizations should be governed and held accountable.

Doing the right things right

When most people think about government accountability, they think about money. Did the organization stay within its budget? Were the rules followed? Were financial controls in place?

Those questions are important, but they are only part of the picture.

The more important question is whether the organization is actually achieving the public purpose for which it was created.

In other words, it is not enough to know that an organization is doing things right. We also need to know whether it is doing the right things.

That simple distinction has guided much of my career in public service and auditing.

Organizations such as IRAC exercise significant........

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