2017–18 Financial Statements

Statement of Management Responsibility Including Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

Responsibility for the integrity and objectivity of the accompanying financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018, and all information contained in these statements rests with the management of the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada (the Office). These financial statements have been prepared by management using the Government of Canada's accounting policies, which are based on Canadian public sector accounting standards.

Management is responsible for the integrity and objectivity of the information in these financial statements. Some of the information in the financial statements is based on management's best estimates and judgment, and gives due consideration to materiality. To fulfill its accounting and reporting responsibilities, management maintains a set of accounts that provides a centralized record of the Office’s financial transactions. Financial information submitted in the preparation of the Public Accounts of Canada, and included in the Office’s Departmental Results Report, is consistent with these financial statements.

Management is also responsible for maintaining an effective system of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) designed to provide reasonable assurance that financial information is reliable, that assets are safeguarded and that transactions are properly authorized and recorded in accordance with the Financial Administration Act and other applicable legislation, regulations, authorities, directives and policies.

Management seeks to ensure the objectivity and integrity of data in its financial statements through careful selection, training and development of qualified staff; through organizational arrangements that provide appropriate divisions of responsibility; through communication programs aimed at ensuring that regulations, policies, standards, and managerial authorities are understood throughout the Office and through conducting an annual risk-based assessment of the effectiveness of the system of ICFR.

The system of ICFR is designed to mitigate risks to a reasonable level based on an ongoing process to identify key risks, to assess effectiveness of associated key controls, and to make any necessary adjustments.

A risk-based assessment of the system of ICFR for the year ended March 31, 2018 was completed in accordance with the Treasury Board Policy on Financial Management and the results and action plans are summarized in the annex of the 2017–18 Departmental Results Report.

The effectiveness and adequacy of the Office's system of internal control is reviewed by an independent Audit and Evaluation Committee, which oversees management's responsibilities for maintaining adequate control systems and the quality of financial reporting, and which recommends for approval the financial statements to the Commissioner.

The Auditor General of Canada, the independent auditor for the Government of Canada, has expressed an opinion on the fair presentation of the financial statements of the Office which does not include an audit opinion on the annual assessment of the effectiveness of the Office’s internal controls over financial reporting.

Joe Friday
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner
Éric Trottier, MBA, CPA, CMA
Chief Financial Officer


Ottawa, Canada
July 9, 2018

Independent Auditor’s Report

To the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Speaker of the Senate

Report on the Financial Statements

I have audited the accompanying financial statements of the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada, which comprise the statement of financial position as at 31 March 2018, and the statement of operations and net financial position, statement of change in net debt and statement of cash flows for the year then ended, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information.

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor’s Responsibility

My responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on my audit. I conducted my audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that I comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my audit opinion.

Opinion

In my opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada as at 31 March 2018, and the results of its operations, changes in its net debt, and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards.

Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements

In my opinion, the transactions of the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada that have come to my notice during my audit of the financial statements have, in all significant respects, been in accordance with the Financial Administration Act and regulations and the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.


Original signed by

Nathalie Chartrand, CPA, CA
Principal for the Auditor General of Canada

Ottawa, Canada
July 9, 2018

Statement of Financial Position

As at March 31

Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 5) 627,650 514,874
Vacation pay and compensatory leave 211,330 176,709
Employee future benefits (note 6) 160,200 158,000
Total liabilities 999,180 849,583
Financial assets
Due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund 523,317 338,368
Accounts receivable and advances (note 7) 109,487 184,272
Total financial assets 634,804 522,640
Net debt 364,376 326,943
Non-financial assets
Prepaid expenses - 2,200
Tangible capital assets (note 8) 157,449 174,988
Total non-financial assets 157,499 177,188
Net financial position (206,927) (149,755)

Contractual obligations (note 9)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Joe Friday
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner
  Éric Trottier, MBA, CPA, CMA
Chief Financial Officer


Ottawa, Canada
July 9, 2018

Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position

For the year ended March 31

Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

(in dollars) Planned Results
(note 2)
2018
2018 2017
Expenses
Disclosure and Reprisal Management Program 4,091,075 3,709,214 3,154,802
Internal Services 2,087,686 1,966,310 1,768,265
Total Expenses 6,178,761 5,675,524 4,923,067
Net cost of operation before government funding 6,178,761 5,675,524 4,923,067
Government funding
Net cash provided by Government 5,417,888 4,713,102 4,243,325
Change in due from Consolidated Revenue Fund 23,494 186,949 37,737
Services provided without charge by other government departments (note 10) 675,151 718,301 676,766
Net cost (revenue) of operations after government funding 62,228 57,172 (34,761)
Net financial position – Beginning of year (220,612) (149,755) (184,516)
Net financial position – End of year (282,840) (206,927) (149,755)

Segmented Information (note 11)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Statement of Change in Net Debt

For the year ended March 31

Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

(in dollars) Planned
Results
(note 2)
2018
2018 2017
Net cost (revenue) of operations after government funding 62,228 57,172 (34,761)
Change due to tangible capital assets
Acquisition of tangible capital assets (note 8) - 32,837 96,574
Amortization of tangible capital assets (note 8) (60,933) (50,376) (64,681)
Net loss on disposal of tangible capital assets (note 8) - - (2,693)
Total change due to tangible capital assets (60,933) (17,539) 29,200
Change due to prepaid expenses - (2,200) (1,970)
Net decrease in net debt 1,295 37,433 (7,531)
Net debt – Beginning of year 380,927 326,943 334,474
Net debt – End of year 382,222 364,376 326,943

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Statement of Cash Flow

For the year ended March 31

Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Operating Activities
Net cost of operations before government funding 5,675,524 4,923,067
Non-cash items:
Amortization of tangible capital assets (note 8) (50,376) (64,681)
Services provided without charge by other government departments (note 10) (718,301) (676,766)
Net loss on disposal of tangible capital assets (note 8) - (2,693)
Variations in Statement of Financial Position:
Decrease in accounts receivable and advances (74,785) (9,527)
Decrease in prepaid expenses (2,200) (1,970)
Decrease (increase) in accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 5, 8) (181,855) 58,395
Increase in vacation pay and compensatory leave (34,621) (26,769)
Decrease (increase) in employee future benefits (2,200) 37,000
Cash used in operating activities 4,611,186 4,236,056
Capital activities
Acquisition of tangible capital assets (note 8) 101,916 7,269
Cash used in capital investing activities 101,916 7,269
Net cash provided by Government of Canada 4,713,102 4,243,325

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the year ended March 31

Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

1. Authority and objectives

The Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada (the Office) was set up to administer the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, which came into force on April 15, 2007.  The Office is established under the authority of Schedule I.1 of the Financial Administration Act and is funded through annual appropriations.  The Commissioner is accountable for, and reports directly to Parliament on the results achieved.

The Office is mandated to establish a safe, independent, and confidential process for public servants and members of the public to disclose potential wrongdoing in the federal public sector. The Office also helps to protect public servants who have filed disclosures or participated in related investigations from reprisal. The disclosure regime is an element of the framework which strengthens accountability and management oversight in government operations.

Disclosure and Reprisal Management Program

The objective of the program is to address disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal and contribute to increasing confidence in federal public institutions. It aims to provide advice to federal public sector employees and members of the public who are considering making a disclosure and to accept, investigate and report on disclosures of information concerning possible wrongdoing. Based on this activity, the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner will exercise exclusive jurisdiction over the review, conciliation and settlement of complaints of reprisal, including making applications to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal which determines whether reprisals have taken place and orders appropriate remedial and disciplinary action.

Internal Services

Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. Internal services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization, and not those provided to a specific program. The groups of activities are Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Materiel Services and Acquisition Services.

2. Summary of significant accounting policies

These financial statements have been prepared using the Government of Canada's accounting policies stated below, which are based on Canadian public sector accounting standards. The presentation and results using the stated accounting policies do not result in any significant differences from Canadian public sector accounting standards.

Significant accounting policies are as follows:

a) Parliamentary authorities

The Office is financed by the Government of Canada through Parliamentary authorities. Financial reporting of authorities provided to the Office do not parallel financial reporting according to generally accepted accounting principles since authorities are primarily based on cash flow requirements. Consequently, items recognized in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position and in the Statement of Financial Position are not necessarily the same as those provided through authorities from Parliament. Note 4 provides a reconciliation between the bases of reporting. The planned results amounts in the Expenses section of the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position are the amounts reported in the Future-Oriented Statement of Operations included in the 2017–18 Departmental Plan. The planned results amounts in the Government funding section of the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position and in the Statement of Change in Net Debt were prepared for internal management purposes and have not been previously published.

Liquidity risk is the risk that the Office will encounter difficulty in meeting its obligations associated with financial liabilities. The Office’s objective for managing liquidity risk is to manage operations and cash expenditures within the appropriation authorized by Parliament or allotment limits approved by the Treasury Board.

Each year, the Office presents information on planned expenditures to Parliament through the tabling of Estimates publications.  These estimates result in the introduction of supply bills (which, once passed into legislation, become appropriation acts) in accordance with the reporting cycle for government expenditures. The Office exercises expenditure initiation processes such that unencumbered balances of budget allotments and appropriations are monitored and reported on a regular basis to help ensure sufficient authority remains for the entire period and appropriations are not exceeded.

Consistent with Section 32 of the Financial Administration Act, the Office’s policy to manage liquidity risk is that no contract or other arrangement providing for a payment shall be entered into with respect to any program for which there is an appropriation by Parliament or an item included in estimates then before the House of Commons to which the payment will be charged unless there is a sufficient unencumbered balance available out of the appropriation or item to discharge any debt that, under the contract or other arrangement, will be incurred during the fiscal year in which the contract or other arrangement is entered into.

The Office’s risk exposure and its objectives, policies and processes to manage and measure this risk did not change significantly from the prior year.

b) Net Cash Provided by Government

The Office operates within the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), which is administered by the Receiver General for Canada. All cash received by the Office is deposited to the CRF, and all cash disbursements made by the Office are paid from the CRF. The net cash provided by Government is the difference between all cash receipts and all cash disbursements, including transactions between departments of the Government.

c) Due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund

Amounts due from the CRF are the result of timing differences at year-end between when a transaction affects authorities and when it is processed through the CRF. Amounts due from the CRF represent the net amount of cash that the Office is entitled to draw from the CRF without further authorities to discharge its liabilities. This amount is not considered to be a financial instrument.

d) Expenses

Expenses are recorded on the accrual basis:

  • Transfer payments are recorded as expenses when authorization for the payment exists and the recipient has met the eligibility criteria or the entitlements established for the transfer payment program.
  • Vacation pay and compensatory leave are accrued as the benefits are earned by employees under their respective terms of employment.

e) Employee future benefits

  • Pension benefits: Eligible employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan (Plan), a multiemployer pension plan administered by the Government of Canada. The Office’s contributions to the Plan are charged to expenses in the year incurred and represent the total Office obligation to the Plan. The Office’s responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan’s sponsor.
  • Severance benefits: The accumulation of severance benefits for voluntary departures ceased for applicable employee groups. Due to the size of the Office, the remaining obligation for employees who did not withdraw benefits is calculated using employee specific information.

f) Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable are stated at the lower of cost and net recoverable value. A valuation allowance is recorded for accounts receivable where recovery is considered uncertain. Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will cause a financial loss for the other party by failing to discharge an obligation. The Office is not exposed to significant credit risk.  Accounts receivable are due on demand.  The majority of accounts receivable are due from other Government of Canada departments and agencies where there is minimal potential risk of loss. The maximum exposure the Office has to credit risk equal to the carrying value of its accounts receivable.

g) Tangible capital assets

All tangible capital assets and leasehold improvements having an initial cost of $5,000 or more are recorded at their acquisition cost. Amortization of tangible capital assets is done on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset as follows:

Asset class Amortization Period
Informatics hardware 3 to 5 years
Informatics software 3 to 5 years
Other equipment 3 to 15 years
Leasehold improvements Lesser of the remaining term of the lease or useful life of the improvement

h) Related Party Transactions

Inter-entity transactions

The Office is related, in terms of common ownership, to all government departments, agencies, and Crown corporations. The Office enters into transactions with these entities in the normal course of business, which are measured at the carrying amount, except for the following:

  1. Inter-entity transactions are measured at the exchange amount when undertaken on similar terms and conditions to those adopted if the entities were dealing at arm’s length, or where costs provided are recovered.
  2. Goods or services received without charge between commonly controlled entities, when used in the normal course of the operations and would otherwise have been purchased, are recorded as revenues and expenses at the carrying amount. The Government also uses central agencies and common service organizations so that one department performs services for all other departments and agencies without charge. The costs of these services, such as the payroll and cheque issuance services provided by Public Services and Procurement Canada are not included in the Office’s Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position.
Other related party transactions

Related parties also include key management personnel (KMP) having authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the Office, as well as their close family members. The Office has defined its KMP to be the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Director of Operations.

These related party transactions are recorded at the exchange amount.

i) Measurement uncertainty

The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported and disclosed amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes at March 31. The estimates are based on facts and circumstances, historical experience, general economic conditions and reflect the Office's best estimates of the related amount at the end of the reporting period. The most significant items where estimates are used are the liability for vacation pay, employee future benefits and the useful life of tangible capital assets. Actual results could significantly differ from those estimated. Management’s estimates are reviewed periodically and, as adjustments become necessary, they are recorded in the financial statements in the year they become known.

3. Adoption of new accounting standards

The Public Sector Accounting Board (PSAB) issued five new accounting standards effective for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2017. The new accounting standards are Related Party Disclosures (PS2200), Contingent Assets (PS3320), Assets (PS3210), Contractual Rights (PS3380) and Inter-entity Transactions (PS3420). The adoption of these standards only impacted note disclosure and did not result in any significant changes other than the creation of note 2h) to describe the accounting policy for related party transactions and additional disclosures in the related party transactions and contractual obligations notes 10 and 9 respectively.

4. Parliamentary authorities

The Office receives its funding through annual parliamentary authorities. Items recognized in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position and the Statement of Financial Position in one year may be funded through parliamentary authorities in prior, current or future years. Accordingly, the Office has different net results of operations for the year on a government funding basis than on an accrual accounting basis. The differences are reconciled in the following tables:

a) Reconciliation of net cost of operations to current year authorities used

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Net cost of operations before government funding 5,675,524 4,923,067
Adjustments for items affecting net cost of operations but not affecting authorities:
Add (Less):
Services provided without charge by other government departments (note 10) (718,301) (676,766)
Amortization of tangible capital assets (note 8) (50,376) (64,681)
Net loss on disposal of tangible capital assets (note 8) - (2,693)
Increase in vacation pay and compensatory leave (34,621) (26,769)
Decrease (increase) in employee future benefits (2,200) 37,000
Adjustments to previous year's expenses 25,435 30,164
Other 626 187
  (779,437) (703,558)
Adjustments for items not affecting net cost of operations but affecting authorities:
Add (Less):
Acquisition of tangible capital assets (note 8) 32,837 96,574
Decrease in prepaid expenses (2,200) (1,970)
Employee advances and overpayments 13,615 9,585
  44,252 104,189
Current year authorities used 4,940,339 4,323,698

b) Authorities provided and used

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Authorities provided:
Vote 1 – Program expenditures 5,279,398 5,202,586
Statutory amounts – Contributions to employee benefits plan 431,722 394,972
Less:
Lapsed authorities (770,781) (1,273,860)
Current year authorities used 4,940,339 4,323,698

5. Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities are due within six months of year-end.

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Other government departments and agencies 91,087 32,728
External parties 274,801 243,217
  365,888 275,945
Accrued salaries 261,762 238,929
  627,650 514,874

6. Employee future benefits

a) Pension benefits

The Office's employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan (Plan), which is sponsored and administered by the Government of Canada. Pension benefits accrue up to a maximum period of 35 years at a rate of 2 % per year of pensionable service, times the average of the best five consecutive years of earnings. The benefits are integrated with Canada/Québec Pension Plans benefits and they are indexed to inflation.

Both the employees and the Office contribute to the cost of the Plan. Due to the amendment of the Public Service Superannuation Act following the implementation of provisions related to Economic Action Plan 2012, employee contributors have been divided into two groups – Group 1 relates to existing plan members as of December 31, 2012 and Group 2 relates to members joining the Plan as of January 1, 2013.  Each group has a distinct contribution rate.

The 2017–18 expense amounts to $293,992 ($275,177 in 2016–17). For Group 1 members, the expense represents approximately 1.01 times (1.12 times in 2016–17) the employee contributions and, for Group 2 members, approximately 1 time (1.08 times in 2016–17) the employee contributions.

The Office's responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the consolidated financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan’s sponsor.

b) Severance benefits

Severance benefits provided to the Office’s employees were previously based on an employee’s eligibility, years of service and salary at termination of employment.  However, since 2011 the accumulation of severance benefits for voluntary departures progressively ceased for substantially all employees.  Employees subject to these changes were given the option to be paid the full or partial value of benefits earned to date or collect the full or remaining value of benefits upon departure from the public service.  As at March 31, 2018, substantially all settlements for immediate cash out were completed and the remaining obligation will be disbursed upon departure from the public service.  Severance benefits are unfunded and, consequently, the outstanding obligation will be paid from future authorities.

The changes in the obligations during the year were as follows:

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Accrued benefit obligation, beginning of year 158,000 195,000
Expense for the year 2,550 (37,000)
Benefits paid during the year (350) -
Accrued benefit obligation, end of year 160,200 158,000

7. Accounts receivable and advances

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Accounts receivable – Other government departments and agencies 88,885 164,164
Accounts receivable – External parties 6,656 7,266
Employee advances 13,466 12,342
Advance – Petty cash 500 500
  109,487 184,272

8. Tangible capital assets

Cost
(in dollars)
Opening
Balance
Acquisitions Disposals, Write-Offs and Transfers Closing Balance
Informatics hardware 194,996 26,165 - 221,161
Informatics software 112,917 6,672 - 119,589
Other equipment 71,125 - - 71,125
Leasehold improvements 242,589 - - 242,589
  621,627 32,837 - 654,464

 

Accumulated amortization
(in dollars)
Opening Balance Amortization Disposals, Write-Offs and Transfers Closing Balance
Informatics hardware 78,386 26,144 - 104,530
Informatics software 71,271 19,217 - 90,488
Other equipment 54,393 5,015 - 59,408
Leasehold improvements 242,589 - - 242,589
  446,639 50,376 - 497,015

 

Net book value
(in dollars)
2017 2018
Informatics hardware 116,610 116,631
Informatics software 41,646 29,101
Other equipment 16,732 11,717
Leasehold improvements - -
  174,988 157,449

The Acquisition of tangible capital assets and the increase in accounts payables and accrued liabilities presented in the Statement of Cash Flow exclude an amount of $20,226 ($89,305 in 2016–17) in relation to the acquisition of tangible capital assets, as the amount relates to capital investing activities in 2017–18 that remain to be paid as at March 31, 2018.

9. Contractual obligations

The nature of the Office's activities can result in some large multi-year contracts and obligations whereby the Office will be obligated to make future payments when the services or goods are received. Significant contractual obligations that can be reasonably estimated are summarized as follows:

(in dollars) Related Parties Acquisitions of goods and services Operating leases Total
2019 617,171 335,384 2,844 955,399
2020 358,400 16,332 1,650 376,382
2021 94,732 - 396 95,128
2022 - - - -
2023 - - - -

10. Related party transactions

a) Common services provided without charge by other government departments

During the year, the Office received services without charge from certain common service organizations, related to accommodation, the employer’s contribution to the health and dental insurance plans and audit services. These services provided without charge have been recorded at the carrying value in the Office’s Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position as follows:

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Accommodation 293,595 312,016
Employer's contribution to the health and dental insurance plans 295,706 249,750
Audit services 129,000 106,000
  718,301 676,766

The Government has centralized some of its administrative activities for efficiency, cost-effectiveness purposes and economic delivery of programs to the public. As a result, the Government uses central agencies and common service organizations so that one department performs services for all other departments and agencies without charge. The costs of these services, such as the payroll and cheque issuance services provided by Public Services and Procurement Canada are not included in the Office’s Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position.

b) Other transactions with related parties

The Office incurred expenses from transactions in the normal course of business with other government departments, agencies and Crown corporations. A portion of these expenses comes from shared services agreements with other government departments related to the provision of Finance, Human Resources, Administrative and Information Technology internal support services. These expenses exclude common services received without charge, which are already disclosed in a). Contractual obligations with related parties, as shown in note 9 above, amount to a total of $1,070,303 over the next five years.

(in dollars) 2018 2017
Expenses for internal support services 468,142 423,313
Expenses for other business operations 1,134,444 639,306
  1,602,586 1,062,619
 Accounts payable 91,087 32,728
Accounts receivable 88,885 164,164

11. Segmented information

Presentation by segment is based on the Office's program alignment architecture. The presentation by segment is based on the same accounting policies as described in the Summary of significant accounting policies in note 2. The following table presents the expenses incurred for the main program by major object of expense. The segment results for the period are as follows:

(in dollars) Disclosure and Reprisal Management Program Internal Services 2018 2017
Transfer payments
Individuals 48,232 - 48,232 25,157
Total transfer payments 48,232 - 48,232 25,157
Operating Expenses
Salaries and employee benefits 3,063,706 905,249 3,969,361 3,320,083
Professional and special services 245,644 830,249 1,075,893 882,582
Accommodation 225,186 68,409 293,595 411,192
Information 30,917 40,268 71,185 39,818
Travel 49,863 8,395 58,258 58,774
Amortization of tangible capital assets - 50,376 50,376 64,681
Communication 14,147 30,227 44,374 50,106
Rentals 15,953 25,420 41,373 40,797
Equipment expenses 16,744 10,982 27,726 26,341
Utilities, materials and supplies 17,935 531 18,466 27,037
Repair and maintenance 384 1,736 2,120 3,970
Net loss on disposal of tangible capital assets - - - 2,693
Adjustments to previous year's expenses (19,497) (5,938) (25,435) (30,164)
Total operating expenses 3,660,982 1,966,310 5,627,292 4,897,910
Net cost of operations 3,709,214 1,966,310 5,675,524 4,923,067