AOVS - Nomination of External Members

Report

Ottawa – The Standing Senate Committee on Audit and Oversight today welcomes two external members to its ranks after the Senate adopted its Fifth Report.

The report’s adoption marks the first time that non-senators have been formally included in the membership of a Senate committee and is an essential step in the important work of the Senate Committee on Audit and Oversight.

Hélène F. Fortin (FCPA, FCA, ICD.D) and Robert Plamondon (FCPA, FCA, ICD.D) join senators David Wells, Renée Dupuis, Percy E. Downe and Marty Klyne as members of the committee. The senators have established the committee’s structure and operations since it was created through an order of the Senate adopted in October 2020. The committee has the power to audit and report on all Senate expenditures.

The committee will serve the Senate and the public by ensuring tax dollars are spent responsibly and the Senate’s administrative procedures reflect best practices. For example, the committee has the power to retain and oversee auditors, review the Senate’s quarterly reports and financial statements and will report to the Senate with the committee’s observations and recommendations.

The external candidates were chosen through a fair, transparent and arm’s-length competitive process established and managed by the committee, with the assistance of Boyden Canada, an executive recruitment firm.

Ms. Fortin brings decades of expertise in public accounting to the committee, including as a board member, auditor and lecturer. Mr. Plamondon is an experienced member of internal audit committees and has led operational and governance reviews at various levels of government. Both Ms. Fortin and Mr. Plamondon are Fellows of the Chartered Professional Accountants and hold the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors, which represents a lifelong commitment to excellence in the boardroom.

Quick Facts

The Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight has established its structure and operations since it was created through an order of the Senate adopted in October 2020. The order specified the committee will act “for the purposes of integrity, independence, transparency and accountability.”
A member of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (CPA Quebec), Ms. Fortin manages her own public accounting firm Ms. Fortin has served on the board of directors of numerous large public and private corporations, lectured at universities and shaped standards as an active member of professional accounting bodies.
Plamondon is an independent director, historian, economist, and author with expertise in the fields of public policy, governance, organizational transformation, finance as well as risk and performance management.
External members will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement and an ethics and conflict of interest declaration form, similar to what is expected of senators, employees and contractors in service of the Senate. The terms and conditions of these appointments are outlined in the Fifth report.
The committee will meet in the coming days to begin its important work on behalf of all Canadians.

Quotes

“We are pleased to welcome Ms. Fortin and Mr. Plamondon as the newest members of our team. The committee looks forward to working together to meet the high standards of trust and good governance that Canadians rightly expect from their democratic institutions.”

- Senator David Wells, Chair of the committee

“Filling these two external positions is an important first step in our work to contribute to the robust oversight of Senate spending on behalf of all Canadians.”

- Senator Renée Dupuis, Deputy Chair of the committee

“It is an honour to put my expertise as an auditor and governance leader to work as a member of the Senate’s Audit and Oversight Committee – a committee that will undoubtedly continue to play an important role in the Senate’s work on behalf of Canadians.”

- Ms. Hélène F. Fortin, Member of the committee

“Whether as an accountant, public policy leader or governance specialist, my career has been largely motivated by my desire to contribute to a better Canada. I look forward to continuing that pursuit as a member of the Senate’s Audit and Oversight Committee.”

- Mr. Robert Plamondon, Member of the committee