A newly released audit of the Privy Council Innovation Hub has revealed that the agency spent the majority of its budget on salaries and benefits for its eight employees.

Since its creation in 2015, the agency has spent $6 million of its $8.2 million budget on staff.

The information was revealed in the Evaluation Of The Privy Council Innovation Hub, an audit which was completed almost two years ago.

As reported by Blacklock's,

“For societies to advance, public sector organizations need to continuously find new and innovative approaches that will help grow the economy and meet society’s evolving needs,” said the Evaluation Of The Privy Council Innovation Hub. The audit was completed November 19, 2018 but withheld for almost two years.

...The agency’s mandate was to find “a better understanding of the way people behave in real-life situations”, “work through stubborn problems”, “uncover insights” and “pursue more innovative approaches in public policy”, wrote auditors.

Staff interviewed for the audit complained they didn’t have enough money. “Interview consultations, primarily internal, raised the issue that the hub does not have sufficient resources to meet demand,” said Evaluation.

The Innovation Hub has since been renamed to the Impact and Innovation Unit.

According to the agency's website,

With a focus on “the how,” the IIU supports departments to build results-driven approaches that work for Canadians. The IIU houses the Centre of Expertise for the Impact Canada Initiative to work with departments in applying innovative financing approaches, new partnership models, impact measurement methodologies and behavioural insights in priority areas for the Government of Canada.

In total, the Hub initiated sixteen projects.