Working closely with Treasury
Office members consulted the Treasury when producing Government Accountability. But the process also worked in the other direction – Treasury called upon, and thereby consolidated, the expertise of auditors in performance measurement in developing its own documents. The enrolment of the Treasury Department, and the latter’s increasing recognition of the claims of the Office, was important given the powerful role of Treasury in Alberta. Its power is not simply due to government traditions in Alberta, but reflects the centrality of Treasury in a massive expense reduction program across all government departments in the mid-1990s, and the high status within government of the then Treasurer. In addition, Treasury had to play a significant role in operationalizing the reform – for example in providing directions to departments on how to report performance measures and develop business plans.