2. Objectives and Methodology
Page 4 of 8
This first audit of an airport authority supports the Commissioner's efforts to ensure that institutions subject to the Official Languages Act are complying with its provisions. This audit focuses on the management of the official languages program, to determine whether the Airport Authority fully complies with its obligations pertaining to communications with and services to the travelling public.
To do so, we examined the leadership and commitment to implementing the Official Languages Act shown by the Airport Authority’s administration. We also looked at the management framework and the mechanisms in place to ensure that services to the travelling public are in fact offered in both official languages at the airport. In addition, our audit assessed the extent to which the Airport Authority monitors its services, as well as services provided by airlines and contracted service providers (such as food services, car rental services, foreign exchange services and information counters), and works with other federal institutions located at the airport to promote bilingual services. The audit’s objectives and criteria are presented in detail in Appendix B of this report.
The data collection and analysis phase of this audit was conducted primarily between June 2007 and March 2008. Our findings and recommendations result from the following activities:
- A review and analysis of documents provided by the Airport Authority;
- Some 25 interviews conducted in person or over the telephone with one of the Airport Authority’s Board members, senior management executives, employees, contracted service providers, airline representatives and representatives from federal departments located at the airport; and
- In-person observations conducted at the airport on different occasions beginning in the summer of 2007 as part of the data collection process for the Office of the Commissioner’s report card exercise. Additional observations were conducted in the fall of 2007 and during the summer and winter of 2008. For the purpose of this audit, the results of both observation exercises have been taken into consideration.
A debriefing session on the audit findings was held on April 9, 2009, with the Airport Authority’s Executive Management representatives.
