Statement by the President and CEO and by the Chairman

Vitalité Health Network welcomes the Auditor General's report on agency personnel. Most of the measures recommended in the report are already standard practice at the Network while others will be implemented in the coming days.

Measures already put into practice include the Network's reduction plan, based on a solid recruitment and retention strategy that is bearing fruit, and the use of data in decision-making as the Network relies on in-depth data, projections and analysis to plan its human resources. In addition, the risks and needs in each sector and facility are evaluated on a regular basis.

We are, however, disappointed to note certain omissions, particularly the emergency situation occurring at the time as well as information and testimonials provided by Vitalité Health Network that do not appear to have been factored into account the analysis. Furthermore, the Auditor General suggests a lack of co-operation from the Network, whereas we have been irreproachable in this regard and have fulfilled our obligations in the context of this audit.

All requested documents were submitted, except for three documents protected by privilege that could have been shared with a non-disclosure agreement from the auditor general's office, which was refused. We clearly explained this constraint as the Network is in the midst of a dispute with one of the companies targeted in this investigation. Sharing the documents in question could have been detrimental to certain negotiations currently underway, which are being conducted in the interests of public finances. 

We recognize the importance of the Office of the Auditor General's mandate and its role in society as an independent defender of the public interest. As part of our continuous improvement approach, we will be paying particular attention to the report and its conclusions in order to identify avenues for improvement.

In addition, we will continue working with our Board of Directors to optimize our processes and controls, particularly in the management of agency contracts, and we will continue implementing our extensive recruitment and retention efforts.

Thomas Soucy Chairperson

Dr. France Desrosiers President and CEO