Ottawa, 7 May 2008-Auditor General Sheila Fraser has announced the appointment of Scott Vaughan as the new Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, effective 5 May 2008. Mr. Vaughan has worked in the field of environmental economics for more than 20 years, in the areas of environmental protection, conservation and sustainable development at the international level. Ms. Fraser will introduce Mr. Vaughan to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development today at 3:30 p.m. in room 269 West Block.
"I'm pleased to welcome Scott Vaughan to our Office and look forward to working with him in matters of importance to Canadians," says Ms. Fraser.
As Commissioner, Mr. Vaughan will be responsible for monitoring sustainable development strategies, overseeing the environmental petitions process, and audits of environmental and sustainable development issues.
Mr. Vaughan comes from the Organization of the American States (OAS), where he has been the Director of the Department of Sustainable Development since 2003. He was a Visiting Scholar with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C, in 2002-03. From 1998 to 2002, he was Head of the Economics, Trade and Environment Program at the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation in Montréal, and from 1995 to 1998, he was a Counselor working on environmental issues at the World Trade Organization. He held a variety of positions with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) from 1989 to 1995, and founded UNEP's partnership with the financial services sector. He launched UNEP's work in environment and international trade, was Deputy Chief of the environmental economics division in Nairobi, and worked on the preparations for the 1992 Earth Summit.
Scott holds an M.Sc. (Economics) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, an M.A. from Dalhousie University, an M.Phil. from the University of Edinburgh, and a B.A. (hons) from Mount Allison University. He has published in the field of environment and trade, payment for ecosystem services and, most recently, freshwater management and adaptation to climate change.
The position of Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development was established in December 1995 by amendments to the Auditor General Act. Appointed by the Auditor General, the Commissioner leads a group of auditors specialized in environment and sustainable development. Mr. Vaughan replaces Ron Thompson, who was named acting Commissioner in January 2007.
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