The Auditor General of Canada is a politically unaligned watchdog responsible for holding the government of Canada accountable for its stewardship of public funds. Sheila Fraser, who has been the Auditor General of Canada for the past ten years, is leaving. In her last speech as Auditor-General and in recent press conferences she has identified what she considers to be the most important long term challenges facing Canadians.
Aging Workforce
“We all know Canada’s population is getting older, but we are still grappling with its implications – fewer people in the labour force, less economic growth and less tax revenue.”
Climate Change
Fraser said the extreme impacts of climate change are apparent in Canada’s North. “Melting permafrost is undermining roads, buildings and pipelines … Canada needs a national long-term climate change strategy -one that will allow us to mitigate and adapt to changes to cover the costs and to engage Canadians in adjusting both their attitudes and their activities.”
Deteriorating Infrastructure
She said that Canada’s infrastructure is suffering from age and obsolescence. “Over the past decade, many of our audits have shown that government will need to repair or replace a wide range of infrastructure -from mail handling facilities and equipment at Canada Post, to research facilities and equipment, and the government’s IT systems, to bridges, ferries and the Parliament buildings.”
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