References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- who is the front-line investigator helping ensure that the federal government complies with the Financial Administration Act and regulations, and its own spending codes, policies and guidelines, and receives value for money spent. Under the Auditor General Act (R.S., 1985, c. A-17) -- [ LINK ] -- it is appointed to a fixed term of 10 years.

References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- has control over office budget and activities, and cannot be ordered to, or prohibited from, auditing any government institution or program under sections 5 to 14 of the Auditor General Act (R.S., 1985, c. A-17) -- [ LINK ] Under section 3 of the Act, it is appointed to a fixed term of 10 years or until auditor reaches the age of 65 years.

References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- under section 3 of the Auditor General Act (R.S., 1985, c. A-17) -- [ LINK ] The Auditor has a fixed term of office of 10 years (or until Auditor reaches the age of 65 years) and can only be dismissed for cause.

References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- staff measures sections 15-18 of the Auditor General Act (R.S., 1985, c. A-17) -- [ LINK ] By the Auditor's own admission in quarterly reports, lack of resources mean that most government institutions and spending are audited only once every five years or even more rarely (for programs not spending a significant amount of the government's annual budget).

- Internet search produced no reports, articles or media stories about the lack of professionalism by Auditor General staff.

References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- The Auditor has a fixed term of office of 10 years and can only be dismissed for cause.

- An Internet search produced no articles or media stories expressing any concerns about the independence of the federal Auditor General.

References: - The Auditor General has shown clearly that they do not have adequate, regular funding by the backlog of open files in their annual reports, and the fact that the Auditor acknowledges that large government spending initiatives are usually audited only once every five years (at most)), and that many smaller spending initiatives have never been audited: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- is the front-line investigator helping ensure that the federal government complies with the Financial Administration Act and regulations, and its own spending codes, policies and guidelines, and receives value for money spent.

References: - The Auditor General issues quarterly reports on completed audits, but has shown clearly that they do not have adequate, regular funding by the backlog of open files in their annual reports, and the fact that the Auditor acknowledges that large government spending initiatives are usually audited only once every five years (at most)), and that many smaller spending initiatives have never been audited. - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- is the front-line investigator helping ensure that the federal government complies with the Financial Administration Act and regulations, and its own spending codes, policies and guidelines, and receives value for money spent.

References: - The Auditor General does not have the power to order corrective action or penalize those who have violated codes, policies or guidelines (although the Auditor does have the power and mandate to refer violations of laws or regulations to the police).

- The Auditor General has shown clearly that they do not have adequate, regular funding by the backlog of open files in their reports, and the fact that the Auditor acknowledges that large government spending initiatives are usually audited only once every five years (at most)), and that many smaller spending initiatives have never been audited. As a result many findings of the Auditor General are not implemented (as almost all of the Auditor's reports make clear) because the federal government and Cabinet know that another audit will not likely occur for another five years (ie. after the next federal election).

- Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- is the front-line investigator helping ensure that the federal government complies with the Financial Administration Act and regulations, and its own spending codes, policies and guidelines, and receives value for money spent.

Peer Review Comments: The government does not seem to be acting in line with the auditor's recommendations.

References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] -- is the front-line investigator helping ensure that the federal government complies with the Financial Administration Act and regulations, and its own spending codes, policies and guidelines, and receives value for money spent.

- The Auditor General has full power to determine the timing and pace of its investigations, but does face calls from the legislature (usually opposition parties) to conduct audits, and does face resistance from the executive in terms of auditing investigations (mainly because the Auditor does not have the power to penalize such resistance).

References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] Final reports must be made public.

References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] Reports are made available on the Internet at no cost as they are released.

References: - Auditor General of Canada -- [ LINK ] Reports are made available on the Internet at no cost as they are released.