OTTAWA – The Conservative government has formally approved the appointment of Michael Ferguson as the auditor general in two parliamentary votes on Thursday.
Both Conservative MPs and Senators voted to approve Ferguson’s nomination to the top watchdog job in Canada.
Ferguson has been making headlines for his inability to speak French, but there’s more to the man than his language abilities.
Here’s a look at the man set to become Canada’s next Auditor General.
The New Brunswick native is currently serving as the deputy minister of finance in his home province.
Before that he served as Auditor General of New Brunswick from 2005 to 2010, a job that saw him raise the red flag about the province’s debt and perceived lack of a plan to rein in spending.
It’s a role that has been praised by the Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation.
“He’s established himself as independent,” says Derek Fildebrandt of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “He’s established himself as a guy with a keen eye for wasteful spending and not afraid to propose alternatives.”
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Ferguson also spent 20 years with the provincial Office of the Comptroller.
Despite his professional qualifications, Ferguson cannot speak French – a skill that was listed as necessary in the job posting.
The shortcoming has been an ongoing point of contention with the opposition parties, one they grilled the would-be watchdog about as he appeared before parliamentary committees.
The Liberals abstained from the House of Commons vote that saw Ferguson approved. The New Democrats voted against his appointment.
Ferguson has promised to learn French within one year if given the job of auditor general.
If approved, Ferguson will likely face a bigger challenge than just learning a new language, living up to the legacy of outgoing auditor general, Sheila Fraser.
Fraser made a name for herself after scathing audits of the long-gun registry and the sponsorship program under the previous Liberal government. Most recently she made news for her last report which showed the Conservative process surrounding the approval of 32 infrastructure projects in Tony Clement’s riding for last summer’s G8 summit lacked transparency.
“He’s got huge shoes to fill, but he has blazed a positive trail in New Brunswick and we would hope he’s able to live up to that here,” said Fildebrant.
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