Her 10yr term as Canada’s Auditor General is coming to an end.

That’s a shame.

Sheila Fraser has been an effective government watchdog. And watchdogs are what government needs.

… She made headlines across Canada when her report on the sponsorship scandal rocked the country’s political scene.

She confirmed serious problems in the federal government’s management of its Sponsorship Program for a four-year period beginning in 1997. In a few very troubling cases, sponsorship funds were transferred to Crown corporations using what the Auditor General called “highly questionable methods.”

That is, they appeared to have been designed to pay significant commissions to communications agencies, while hiding the source of funding and the true nature of the transactions. Parliament and the parliamentary appropriations process were not respected …

I LOVE those long term appointments of watchdogs. We need more of those at all levels, in all kinds of governance.

In a much-anticipated report, released yesterday, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser concluded the Harper government’s stimulus program was well-managed but criticized the purchase of military helicopters as overbudget and at least a half a decade behind schedule.

National Post – The stimulus audit

Her replacement is yet to be named.