Trudeau taps Karen Hogan to replace the late Michael Ferguson as auditor general

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tapped Karen Hogan to be Canada’s next auditor general.

Hogan is currently assistant auditor general and has worked in that office since 2006.

She is to be a permanent replacement for Michael Ferguson, who died in February 2019.

Ferguson’s deputy, Sylvain Ricard, has been filling in as interim auditor general since then.

Hogan’s nomination must be approved by a resolution in both the House of Commons and the Senate.

The auditor general is an independent officer of Parliament who is expected to conduct impartial audits of federal programs and spending.

Should her nomination be approved, Hogan will face the daunting task of scrutinizing some $150 billion worth of emergency aid the Trudeau government has hastily thrown together to help Canadians weather the economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2020.

The Canadian Press