The Auditor General Act specifies that the Auditor General must appoint an Assistant Auditor General, bearing the title of Sustainable Development Commissioner, to assist him or her in his or her duties relating to sustainable development auditing. Ms. Janique Lambert was appointed Sustainable Development Commissioner in September 2021.
The Sustainable Development Commissioner is responsible for preparing at least one report per year under the supervision of the Auditor General. In that report, the Commissioner must share his or her comments and recommendations regarding the application of the Sustainable Development Act and the Electrification and Climate Change Fund. He or she also addresses any topics that are raised by his or her audit or investigation work into sustainable development, and comments on the principles, procedures and other methods used by the audited government entities.
The Sustainable Development Commissioner carries out his or her mandate among all entities subject to the Sustainable Development Act, namely those subject to the Auditor General Act.
The Sustainable Development Commissioner's mandate clearly indicates that he or she must assess how well the Sustainable Development Act is being applied and share his or her findings. He or she must examine how audited entities fulfill their responsibilities.
TheSustainable Development Act, was assented to in April 2006 and is intended to establish a reference framework within the Administration to ensure that the Administration's powers and responsibilities are exercised in the pursuit of sustainable development. The Auditor General Act was amended in April 2006 to provide for the appointment of a Sustainable Development Commissioner and include auditing the application of the Sustainable Development Act.
The Sustainable Development Working Group's mandate is to support the management committee by commenting on and providing suggestions about important aspects that could improve the Auditor General's approach to sustainable development. The group also works with the administrative units responsible for carrying out the actions identified in the Sustainable Development Action Plan 2021-2022 (in French only). Futhermore, it organizes activities and issues memos to inform all Auditor General employees of the importance of the sustainable development objectives the organization has set for itself.