Sheila Fraser
Encyclopedia
Sheila Fraser served as Auditor General of Canada
from 2001 to 2011.
Ms. Fraser was born in Dundee, Quebec
, Canada. She earned a Bachelor
of Commerce
degree
from McGill University
in 1972. She then became a chartered
accountant
in 1974 and FCA in 1994. In 1981, she worked for Ernst and Young where she worked on assignment to the Auditor General
of Quebec
in some cases, and other Quebec
government offices.
In May 1999, she joined the Office of the Auditor General of Canada as Deputy Auditor General, Audit Operations. She was subsequently appointed Auditor General in 2000. Her 10-year mandate as Auditor General ended on May 30, 2011. During her time in office, a Readers Digest poll listed her as one of the top ten most trusted Canadians.
She made headlines across Canada when her report on the sponsorship scandal
rocked the country's political scene. She confirmed serious problems in the federal government's management of its Sponsorship Program for a four-year period beginning in 1997. In a few very troubling cases, sponsorship funds were transferred to Crown corporations using what the Auditor General called "highly questionable methods." That is, they appeared to have been designed to pay significant commissions to communications agencies, while hiding the source of funding and the true nature of the transactions. Parliament and the parliamentary appropriations process were not respected.
The Auditor General made the news again on November 26, 2006 with her report on the former ombudsman of federal inmates. The report made a series of allegations that the former ombudsman, Ron Stewart, had "often skipped work and collected $325,000 in improper or questionable salary, vacation pay and expenses during his 14-year tenure". The case is currently being reviewed by the RCMP to determine if criminal charges are warranted.
During the week of January 18 to 22, 2010, Fraser visited Afghanistan
to observe the military and development progress of the Canadian mission there
. She expressed concern for the fate of the projects and the training of Afghan police and military, after Canada is scheduled to leave in 2011.
She is divorced and has three children.
Her grandfather's cousin, John Fraser
, also served as Auditor General of Canada.
She gave her last public speech, on May 25, 2011, at the Canadian Club of Ottawa, entitled Serving Parliament Through a Decade of Change, where she warned the government faces long-term fiscal pressures that will mean "very hard choices" between raising taxes or cutting programs and encouraged the government to publicize its long-term fiscal projections because "without them, we cannot begin to understand the scale and complexity of our financial challenges and the implication of policy choices.". Fraser also criticized the "truly shocking" lack of improvement on First Nations reserves and also said "I actually think it’s quite tragic when you see that there is a population in this country that does not have the sort of basic services that Canadians take for granted.". She also referred to the Sponsorship scandal
as "a pivotal event with a lasting impact" and "broke just about every rule in the book".
Auditor General of Canada
The role of the Auditor General of Canada is to aid accountability by conducting independent audits of federal government operations. The Auditor General reports to the House of Commons, not to the government...
from 2001 to 2011.
Ms. Fraser was born in Dundee, Quebec
Dundee, Quebec
Dundee is a township of Quebec, located within the Le Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality in the Montérégie administrative region. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 436.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
, Canada. She earned a Bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
of Commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 1972. She then became a chartered
Chartered
Charter or Chartered might refer to different things:* Charter, a legal document conferring rights or privileges* Chartered , a professional credential* Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, a manufacturing company...
accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
in 1974 and FCA in 1994. In 1981, she worked for Ernst and Young where she worked on assignment to the Auditor General
Auditor General
- Auditor General of National Audit Offices :*Auditor General of the Australian National Audit Office*Auditor General of Canada*Auditor General of China*Auditor General of Pakistan*Auditor General for Scotland*Auditor-General...
of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in some cases, and other Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
government offices.
In May 1999, she joined the Office of the Auditor General of Canada as Deputy Auditor General, Audit Operations. She was subsequently appointed Auditor General in 2000. Her 10-year mandate as Auditor General ended on May 30, 2011. During her time in office, a Readers Digest poll listed her as one of the top ten most trusted Canadians.
She made headlines across Canada when her report on the sponsorship scandal
Sponsorship scandal
The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government "sponsorship program" in the province of Quebec and involving the Liberal Party of Canada, which was in power from 1993 to 2006...
rocked the country's political scene. She confirmed serious problems in the federal government's management of its Sponsorship Program for a four-year period beginning in 1997. In a few very troubling cases, sponsorship funds were transferred to Crown corporations using what the Auditor General called "highly questionable methods." That is, they appeared to have been designed to pay significant commissions to communications agencies, while hiding the source of funding and the true nature of the transactions. Parliament and the parliamentary appropriations process were not respected.
The Auditor General made the news again on November 26, 2006 with her report on the former ombudsman of federal inmates. The report made a series of allegations that the former ombudsman, Ron Stewart, had "often skipped work and collected $325,000 in improper or questionable salary, vacation pay and expenses during his 14-year tenure". The case is currently being reviewed by the RCMP to determine if criminal charges are warranted.
During the week of January 18 to 22, 2010, Fraser visited Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to observe the military and development progress of the Canadian mission there
Canada's role in the invasion of Afghanistan
Canada did not have a significant role in the first few months of the invasion of Afghanistan that began on October 7, 2001, and the first contingents of regular Canadian troops arrived in Afghanistan only in January–February 2002. Canada took on a larger role starting in 2006 after the Canadian...
. She expressed concern for the fate of the projects and the training of Afghan police and military, after Canada is scheduled to leave in 2011.
She is divorced and has three children.
Her grandfather's cousin, John Fraser
John Fraser (Canadian)
John Fraser was Auditor General of Canada and is also a cousin of the grandfather of former Auditor General Sheila Fraser....
, also served as Auditor General of Canada.
She gave her last public speech, on May 25, 2011, at the Canadian Club of Ottawa, entitled Serving Parliament Through a Decade of Change, where she warned the government faces long-term fiscal pressures that will mean "very hard choices" between raising taxes or cutting programs and encouraged the government to publicize its long-term fiscal projections because "without them, we cannot begin to understand the scale and complexity of our financial challenges and the implication of policy choices.". Fraser also criticized the "truly shocking" lack of improvement on First Nations reserves and also said "I actually think it’s quite tragic when you see that there is a population in this country that does not have the sort of basic services that Canadians take for granted.". She also referred to the Sponsorship scandal
Sponsorship scandal
The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government "sponsorship program" in the province of Quebec and involving the Liberal Party of Canada, which was in power from 1993 to 2006...
as "a pivotal event with a lasting impact" and "broke just about every rule in the book".