Auditor General Releases Report of Independent Panel on Environment and Sustainable Development Work

News Release

OTTAWA, 23 January 2008—Auditor General Sheila Fraser has agreed with all of the recommendations made to her by an independent group of experts who reviewed her Office’s environment and sustainable development practice. The Green Ribbon Panel’s report and the Auditor General’s response were released today.
“I thank the members of the Green Ribbon Panel for their review of our environment and sustainable development practice,” Ms. Fraser said. “I also thank the Panel for recognizing the value of our work in the area of the environment and sustainable development. Their recommendations will help us rethink our work in these important areas.”
Ms. Fraser appointed the Green Ribbon Panel last spring to advise her on ways the Office of the Auditor General of Canada could better assist Parliament in holding the government to account for its management of environment and sustainable development issues. Experts Elizabeth Dowdeswell, who chairs the Panel, James Mitchell, and Ken Ogilvie reviewed the Office’s environment and sustainable development practice, consulted widely, and interviewed former and present environment commissioners in four jurisdictions.
Ms. Fraser said her Office is developing a plan for implementing all of the Panel’s recommendations, and that the next Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development will be fully involved in finalizing the strategy. A search process is already under way for the next Commissioner. Ronald Thompson has been serving as Interim Commissioner since January 2007.
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s environmental and sustainable development mandate was established through 1995 amendments to the Auditor General Act. The amendments created the position of Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development within the Office. They added environmental effects to the considerations the Auditor General takes into account when determining what to report to the House of Commons. The amendments require ministers to prepare sustainable development strategies and update them every three years. They also authorize the Auditor General to receive environmental petitions from the public, and require ministers to respond to them.
The Green Ribbon Panel’s report and the Auditor General’s response are available at www.grp-gev.ca and www.oag-bvg.gc.ca.

For more information, please contact:

To interview panel members, please contact:

Margot Booth, OAG Communications
Tel.: 613-952-0213, ext. 6292
Email : communications@oag-bvg.gc.ca

Marise Bédard, Panel Secretary
Tel.: 613-797-2058
Email: marise.bedard@grp-gev.ca

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Auditor General Releases Report of Independent Panel on Environment and Sustainable Development Work

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