Executive Summary
This report examines the Role of the Auditor General in Canada. The Auditor General of Canada is Michael Ferguson and serves Parliament. The Auditor General and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) perform legislative audits, which include: financial audits, performance audits and special examinations. The OAG audits the federal government, crown corporations and territorial governments. Within the OAG is the Commissioner of Environmental and Sustainable Development. The Commissioner is Julie Gelfand and she is responsible for any environmental matters and performance auditing. Since the OAG inspects all government financial statements it encourages accountants to behave ethically. While the OAG is typically seen as an …show more content…
The OAG performs legislative audits for the federal government. OAG reports are used in Parliament “to oversee government activities and hold the federal government to account for its handling of public funds.” (“What We Do” 2015, January 1., para 1). The OAG is responsible for auditing the federal government, crown corporations and the territorial governments of Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The two main categories that the OAG audits are government activities (finance, transportation etc.) and environmental matters through the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. The OAG performs three different types of audits: financial audits, performance audits and special examinations. Financial audits examine the financial statements of the federal government, crown corporations and territorial governments. The main difference from OAG financial audits compared to other financial audits is that “the Auditor General can report on any other matters he thinks should be brought to the attention of Parliament.” (“What We Do” 2015, January 1,. para 20). Performance audits are an evaluation on how well the government is managing systems and procedures in regards to the “economy, efficiency and environmental impact.” (“What We Do” 2015, January 1., para 29). Special examinations are also a type of performance audits but are specifically for crown …show more content…
Recently in May 2015, CTV revealed questionable spending from the OAG, which appeared to violate federal rules. In recent years, The OAG has spent $23,048 on team-building trips, $107,110 on luncheons, $19,226 for retirement festivities and $12,401 on employee lunches. When this was brought up in Parliament, various MP’s questioned the spending. However, Michael Ferguson (Auditor General) defended the OAG’s spending in various statements such as: ‘ "Half of the day is all about business and the other half is ways for them to connect with their team," ’ and ‘ “It’s another way for employees to feel connected to the whole office and not just the group,” ’ (“CTV Investigation: Questionable Spending by Auditor General’s Office” 2015, May 25., para 6, 9). Another controversy with the OAG occurred in June this year, the OAG’s two-year audit of Senate expenses cost $23.6 million but the investigation only uncovered $991,917 in questionable expenses. However, Ferguson thinks that this audit was worth the extra money spent and stated: ‘ "You can do that comparison just to that amount of money that's identified for the senators, but I think you also need to understand that we have done here has value beyond that," ’ ‘ "First of all, I think it is going to result in much more tightening up of the expenses of the senators." ’ (“Michael Ferguson: Spending $23.6 Million on Senate Audit Was Worth It” 2015,
This report examines the Role of the Auditor General in Canada. The Auditor General of Canada is Michael Ferguson and serves Parliament. The Auditor General and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) perform legislative audits, which include: financial audits, performance audits and special examinations. The OAG audits the federal government, crown corporations and territorial governments. Within the OAG is the Commissioner of Environmental and Sustainable Development. The Commissioner is Julie Gelfand and she is responsible for any environmental matters and performance auditing. Since the OAG inspects all government financial statements it encourages accountants to behave ethically. While the OAG is typically seen as an …show more content…
The OAG performs legislative audits for the federal government. OAG reports are used in Parliament “to oversee government activities and hold the federal government to account for its handling of public funds.” (“What We Do” 2015, January 1., para 1). The OAG is responsible for auditing the federal government, crown corporations and the territorial governments of Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The two main categories that the OAG audits are government activities (finance, transportation etc.) and environmental matters through the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. The OAG performs three different types of audits: financial audits, performance audits and special examinations. Financial audits examine the financial statements of the federal government, crown corporations and territorial governments. The main difference from OAG financial audits compared to other financial audits is that “the Auditor General can report on any other matters he thinks should be brought to the attention of Parliament.” (“What We Do” 2015, January 1,. para 20). Performance audits are an evaluation on how well the government is managing systems and procedures in regards to the “economy, efficiency and environmental impact.” (“What We Do” 2015, January 1., para 29). Special examinations are also a type of performance audits but are specifically for crown …show more content…
Recently in May 2015, CTV revealed questionable spending from the OAG, which appeared to violate federal rules. In recent years, The OAG has spent $23,048 on team-building trips, $107,110 on luncheons, $19,226 for retirement festivities and $12,401 on employee lunches. When this was brought up in Parliament, various MP’s questioned the spending. However, Michael Ferguson (Auditor General) defended the OAG’s spending in various statements such as: ‘ "Half of the day is all about business and the other half is ways for them to connect with their team," ’ and ‘ “It’s another way for employees to feel connected to the whole office and not just the group,” ’ (“CTV Investigation: Questionable Spending by Auditor General’s Office” 2015, May 25., para 6, 9). Another controversy with the OAG occurred in June this year, the OAG’s two-year audit of Senate expenses cost $23.6 million but the investigation only uncovered $991,917 in questionable expenses. However, Ferguson thinks that this audit was worth the extra money spent and stated: ‘ "You can do that comparison just to that amount of money that's identified for the senators, but I think you also need to understand that we have done here has value beyond that," ’ ‘ "First of all, I think it is going to result in much more tightening up of the expenses of the senators." ’ (“Michael Ferguson: Spending $23.6 Million on Senate Audit Was Worth It” 2015,