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RESPONSE TO THE 20TH REPORT OF
THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
ON THE INTERNATIONAL PEER REVIEW OF
THE OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL OF CANADA
RECOMMENDATION 1
That the Office of Auditor General of Canada provide the Public Accounts Committee with a progress report by 31 March 2011 of what actions have been taken to address the recommendations and suggestions of the international peer review.
OAG RESPONSE
Agreed. The OAG will provide the Committee with a progress report by 31 March 2011 on what actions have been taken to address the recommendations and suggestions of the international peer review. The OAG will also provide the Committee with its planned activities for all matters that remain outstanding, along with a timeline for completion of each activity.
RECOMMENDATION 2
That the Office of the Auditor General develop a schedule for regular peer reviews of its audit practice.
OAG RESPONSE
Agreed. We believe that a peer review that covers all major products of the Office should be conducted at least once during the 10-year mandate of an auditor general. These peer reviews could be conducted more frequently, depending on circumstances, as determined necessary by the Auditor General or this Committee.
RECOMMENDATION 3
That the Office of the Auditor General work with other national audit offices to develop a means to share best practices for performance auditing.
OAG RESPONSE
Agreed. The OAG is a member of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). Among other things, INTOSAI provides an institutionalized framework for supreme audit institutions around the world to promote the development and sharing of knowledge. Employees of the Office participate in 9 INTOSAI committees, including the Subcommittee on Performance Audit, all geared toward advancing and sharing best accounting and auditing practices.
Further, the OAG has participated in peer reviews of 4 national audit offices. This is in itself a very valuable exercise in that it leads to discussions about best practices amongst the 4-5 national audit offices that make up the review team.
The Auditor General is also an active member of the Global Working Group (GWG). The GWG is a forum that provides a select group of auditors general from some of the largest audit offices around the world the opportunity to meet once a year for discussions on current and emerging issues and to share information and good practices.
Finally, the Auditor General of Canada is a member of the Panel of External Auditors of the United Nations, the UN Specialized Agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The main objectives of the Panel are to further the coordination of the audits for which its members are responsible, and to exchange information on audit methods and findings.
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