As part of the ongoing work to update the Memorial University Act, the Provincial Government has formally requested a full and comprehensive review of operations and spending at Memorial University by the Office of the Auditor General. The Auditor General has agreed to provide government with a report, which will inform the final amendments that will be introduced in the House of Assembly.
The Honourable Siobhan Coady, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Education, will be available to media today at 12:30 p.m. outside the House of Assembly to discuss this process.
Memorial is world leader in ocean technology, it has well-respected engineering, nursing and medical schools, its Bachelor of Commerce program has produced countless business leaders and entrepreneurs and its arts and music faculties build on our province’s strong ties to the arts.
Memorial University remains the most heavily subsidized university in Canada. According to Statistics Canada data, 76.2 per cent of the university’s general operating revenue in 2019-20 came from government grants, compared with a Canadian average of 44.8 per cent. With this level of taxpayer investment, an unbiased overview of how the university allocates this investment is critical before changes to the Act are brought forward that would provide the university with greater autonomy.
In November 2021 the Provincial Government brought forward a new Auditor General Act, 2021, that expanded the Office of the Auditor General’s access to information and to audit the use of government funds. These amendments included the repeal of Section 38(1) of the Memorial University Act to allow the Auditor General to determine if significant investments are being managed with due regard to the economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
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“Both the Provincial Government and the people of this province place significant value on the contributions of Memorial University to the social and economic fabric of the province, and taxpayers provide a significant contribution to Memorial’s operations. As the stewards of an ongoing, sustained investment of this size, it is imperative on us, as we look to expand Memorial’s level of autonomy, to ensure that this investment is being used to maximize the benefit for post-secondary students and their educational outcomes.”
Honourable Siobhan Coady
Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance
“As we look to modernize the Memorial University Act for the first time in decades, we have an opportunity to bring forward positive change for the province’s only university, for students and for the province. I thank the Auditor General for her willingness to undertake this review and I look forward to analyzing her office’s report before finalizing and bringing forward these amendments to the House of Assembly.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Education
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Learn more
Proposed Auditor General Act Increases Transparency and Accountability
Minister Osborne Releases Public Post-Secondary Education Review Report
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Media contacts
Diana Quinton
Finance
709-729-2477, 697-1566
dianaquinton@gov.nl.ca
Marc Budgell
Education
709-729-0048, 689-0430
marcbudgell@gov.nl.ca