Canadian Government Executive - Volume 23 - Issue 02

10 / Canadian Government Executive // February 2017 Creating The New Internal Audit Function Strategy Jennifer Robinson T he internal audit function in the Canadian public sector finds itself at the intersection of two pressing priorities. We must re- place retiring or departing auditors with new recruits, and prepare them to take on increasing levels of responsibility in the years ahead. At the same time, we must adapt and learn to apply powerful new technologies that hold the promise of in- creasing the role and value of internal au- dits in dramatic ways. How we respond to these twin chal- lenges today will naturally shape the future of internal auditing in the govern- ment for years to come. Clearly, there is no time to lose. This was the consensus that emerged from our discussions at the annual Fo- rum of the Government Internal Auditors Council of Canada (GIACC) this past Sep- tember in Halifax, Nova Scotia. GIACC an- nually brings together the heads of inter- nal audit from the federal, provincial and territorial governments to discuss the au- dit issues of the day. Participants included: • Michael Ferguson, Auditor General of Canada • Michael Pickup, Auditor General of Nova Scotia • Jeff Conrad, Deputy Minister, Internal Services, Province of Nova Scotia • Professor Luc Juillet, University of Ot- tawa • Courtney Brown, Data Analytics Expert, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) We heard fromMichael Ferguson, who sug- gested that the way to attract young people into the profession is to inspire them with a vision of what auditors can contribute to society. ‘Show them how they can change lives, how they can make our country bet- ter, how they can have an impact,’ he said. The audit executives in attendance also agreed that new graduates can reinvigo- rate the workforce by bringing different skills to the table. However, they will likely lack business knowledge, so it will be crucial to have experienced employees mentor and coach them. The issue of professionalization, and whether internal auditors should be re- quired to hold a designation, also received significant air time. Today, at the federal level, Chief Audit Executives are, for the most part, required to hold either a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation or and professional ac- counting designation. As well, many de- partments require these designations for their entire internal audit staff. Meanwhile, at the provincial and ter- ritorial levels, most internal auditors are currently required to hold an accounting designation. And those in the other jurisdic- tions are strongly encouraged to obtain one. With this in mind, our discussion on des- ignations led to a rich conversation around the difficulty of growing the community when certification is an entry-level prereq- uisite. Interestingly, many GIACC mem- bers indicated that they value the breadth of experience of a candidate just as much as their designations. Overall, we agreed on a range of strate- gies to promote growth on our teams. They include: • Hiring people mid-career from areas outside of audit to encourage cross-pol- lination of skills and perspectives • Promoting a matrix environment in which auditors work on a variety of en- gagements and projects • Strengthening in-house training and supporting ongoing professional devel- opment • Encouraging auditors to spend more time with clients or to take on an assign- ment in other parts of the organization