Public Accounts committee  Good afternoon and thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am very honoured to be here today as the nominee to be the next Auditor General of Canada. The role of Auditor General of Canada is a very significant one in the accountability structure of Canadian democracy. My name has been put b

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, for that question. Fundamentally I think what I bring to the table is a well-rounded set of experiences. In the human resource world there is a concept referred to as 360-degree feedback. If you look at my history in the province of New Brunswick you will

Public Accounts committee  I recognize the importance of being able to communicate in both official languages and as mentioned in my introduction I have not yet reached a sufficient level of competency in French, but I am well aware that in order to respect Parliament and the citizens of Canada duly, I am

Public Accounts committee  The only thing I can say to that is that I have filled three important roles in the province of New Brunswick. I believe I have been successful in those roles. New Brunswick is a wonderful province with a wonderful, rich heritage in both cultures. I have worked in the provincia

Public Accounts committee  Yes it is.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair. No, in fact I didn't. I was approached by the search firm. They asked me if I would submit a resumé for the position. I was told at the time that in their consideration of candidates my name had come up a number of times, and they therefore

Public Accounts committee  I'm not sure I can even pronounce it. I believe it is Odgers Berndtson.

Public Accounts committee  Certainly part of the role of an auditor general is to look at the different rules and policies that exist for a government and to test against those particular policies.

Public Accounts committee  I think, Mr. Chair, I need some more information about the particular policy, as I can't try to audit here at the table a policy that I'm not aware of.

Public Accounts committee  Yes.

Public Accounts committee  Five years.

Public Accounts committee  Yes.

Public Accounts committee  That's true; I have spent 11 years in the provincial government in various roles—five years as comptroller, five years as auditor general, and one year as a deputy minister and—

Public Accounts committee  As part of this process, I was tested to see what my capacity would be to learn French. It was determined that I had an above-average capacity or ability to learn French. It will be a number one priority for me. I have been working on it; I am not a beginner in the language. I

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. The comptroller in New Brunswick is responsible for the preparation of the province's financial statements, the operation of the province's financial information system, and the operation of internal audit activities for the province as a whole. I think tho