Program News

Congratulations to our 2018-2019 international Fellows on their graduation from the program! The four Fellows—auditors from the supreme audit institutions (SAIs) of Guyana and Rwanda—completed their nine-month placements in Canada and have now returned home.

The Fellowships are part of our International Governance, Accountability and Performance program (IGAP), funded by Global Affairs Canada. This was the first class of Fellowships under this 2018-2025 program.

During their time in Canada, the Fellows worked with audit teams at the Offices of the Auditors General (OAGs) of Canada and of British Columbia, participated in a series of courses with CAAF, and each developed a plan for a performance audit that their SAI will carry out. Read about the Fellows, their experiences in Canada, and their audit plan projects—plus other IGAP program highlights—in our annual booklet.

The 2018-2019 Fellows

The Fellows from Guyana were placed at the OAG of British Columbia:

• Karel Canterbury
  Audit plan topic: National Preparedness for an Oil Spill
• Marlon Leitch
  Audit plan topic: Technical and Vocational Training Outcomes by Gender

The Fellows from Rwanda were placed at the OAG of Canada:

• Pie Harerimana
  Audit plan topic: Effectiveness of Skills Development by Rwanda Polytechnic
• Epimaque Kanyankore
  Audit plan topic: Sustainability of Forests in Rwanda

We celebrated the Fellows’ graduation this May in Ottawa with many program partners, including the Fellows’ mentors and colleagues from their host OAGs, staff from Global Affairs Canada, a representative from the High Commission of Guyana, and the Auditor General of the City of Ottawa.

At the graduation ceremony, our President and CEO, John Reed, told the partners gathered in the room, “Part of this celebration is for the Fellows, and part is for you.” He continued, “While it’s often said it takes a village to raise a child, we think you could also say it takes a community to raise an auditor. I want to thank you, the members of this community, for being here this evening—it’s important to the Fellows and to me.”

Kimberly Heuckroth, Deputy Director of the Governance Team within Global Affairs Canada’s Partnerships for Development Innovation branch, also thanked the program’s partners, telling them, “By supporting the Fellows and this program, you are supporting Canada’s international development efforts.”

In a special presentation, CAAF recognized one member of this community who has been contributing to the Fellowships and our international programs for many years: Since becoming the Auditor General of the City of Ottawa, Ken Hughes has met with all five classes of Fellows we’ve welcomed to Canada. He has presented to Fellows on his work, arranged for them to visit municipal facilities (including a water treatment plant), and invited them to attend the tabling of his reports. He has also contributed to other international program activities; for example, he made a presentation to the Vietnam delegation we recently hosted in Ottawa.

Ken Hughes, Auditor General of Ottawa, (centre) with our President and CEO, John Reed, (left) and our Vice-President for International Programs, Terry Hunt.

CAAF presented a globe to Mr. Hughes as a symbol of our appreciation for his long-term contributions. As Terry Hunt, our Vice-President for International Programs, said during this presentation, “Ken has frequently gone above and beyond to share his knowledge and experience with our international participants.” Accepting the globe, Mr. Hughes said, “Anything that benefits the audit community benefits all of us as taxpayers. I am happy to be part of growing that community, in Canada and internationally.”

We also remembered Michael Ferguson, the late Auditor General of Canada who passed away this year. Mr. Reed recalled that Mr. Ferguson was a long-time supporter of CAAF and our international programs. As Auditor General of Canada, Mr. Ferguson welcomed Fellowship placements at his office each year and, in his previous role as Auditor General of New Brunswick, he was a mentor to the SAI of Tanzania. “He had a great impact on CAAF, our international participants, and on the audit community that will be felt for years to come,” said Mr. Reed.

The contributions of Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Hughes exemplify a special strength of our international program: how our Canadian partners take a personal interest in helping the participants. We thank them and all the members of the community who make this program a success.