Auditor general to table security report

The auditor general is set to deliver a report to Parliament on Tuesday afternoon that details, among other things, the billions of dollars the federal government has spent for anti-terrorism measures since Sept. 11, 2001.

Still smarting from Sheila Fraser's report into the troubled sponsorship program, the government began bracing last week for the report.

Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan has announced a project to create a communications system so federal agencies can better exchange information.

The announcement is thought to have been an attempt to pre-empt a key criticism in Fraser's report: that federal agencies need to do a better job of sharing counter-terrorism information and passing it to police.

The federal government's $7.7-billion plan to beef up national security calls for gathering intelligence, improving national defence and following the money of terrorist groups.

After the storm created by last month's report on the $250 million sponsorship program, opposition members of Parliament are eager to see what Fraser has to say about a program worth 30 times more.

Tuesday's report will also examine areas such as the regulation of medical equipment, the black market economy, and new mechanisms put in place since Paul Martin became prime minister to curb government spending abuses.