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4- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 14, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Independence key to role of auditor general Continued from page 1 Commerce breakfast, to set the record straight about what her job is and how she does it. Fraser, whose reports regularly make national headlines, commanded an incredible turnout at the Oakville Conference Centre with nearly 300 people in attendance. From the beginning Fraser made it clear that she only does the auditing, leaving the judgments to others. "These reports do not comment on government policy. We don't judge whether programs are delivering value for money or whether policy choices are appropriate," said Fraser. "That is the job of parliament and it is our goal to tell parliamentarians how well their decisions are being implemented." In doing so, Fraser also ensures that parliamentarians have the information they need to hold the government accountable for its use of public funds. "It is true that our audits do find shortcomings. In fact, that's the nature of the beast, but we view our audits as learning tools and while we do point out when things go wrong, we also try to suggest improvements and suggest good management practices." Auditor General of Canada Sheila Fraser Fraser noted that Canada has had an independent auditor general since 1878. While there was an auditor general at the time of Confederation, this man was also the deputy minister of finance and as such not exactly impartial, she added. As independence from government is important in allowing the auditor general to do the job effectively, safeguards have been put in place to make sure the position not only stays independent, but is also perceived as such. "The auditor general is appointed for a fixed, 10-year term regardless of changes in government. The term of office cannot be renewed," said Fraser. "The auditor general can only be put out of office by vote from both the House of Commons and the Senate." The auditor general has a broad mandate and as such can decide what audits to conduct and when. The auditor general can ask the government for any information needed to do their work, hire their own staff and contract out for specific expertise. To do this, Fraser noted she has a budget of approximately $90 million and a staff of 650. While the auditor general does do financial audits on government spending, Fraser said it is the performance audits, particularly those dealing with management deficiencies that get the most attention. "Some people see, or perhaps want to see, the auditor general's report as a list of horror stories that confirms that the government is squandering taxpayers' money," said Fraser. "It is true that our audits do find shortcomings. In fact, that's the nature of the beast, but we view our audits as learning tools and while we do point out when things go wrong, we also try to suggest improvements and suggest good management practices." One such recommendation made by Fraser was for the Public Health Agency of Canada to alter some of its practices in the area of infectious disease surveillance. Created in 2004, following an outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in Canada, the agency routinely collects health data to determine what actions are necessary. The auditor general's report noted this is important as well informed and rapid public health actions can prevent and contain outbreaks, reduce the economic burden of infectious disease and save lives. "Except for Ontario, the agency has no formal data sharing agreements or protocols with the provinces and territories," said Fraser. "Formal agreements are so important. They help to ensure that the information the agency receives is timely, complete and accurate so that it can better respond to these outbreaks. The agency has agreed with our recommendations and we do intend to do a followup." 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