Thursday July 25, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
After four years on the job as BC’s Audtor General, Michael Pickup is moving back to his home region in Atlantic Canada.
The retirement of Michael A. Pickup was announced today July 25, 2024.
Pickup has informed the Speaker of the BC Legislature of his intention to retire, in accordance with the Auditor General Act, effective November 15, 2024.
That will wrap up his career in BC just after the election of a new government on October 19, 2024.
Four years on the job:
The Auditor General is an independent officer of the Legislature, appointed by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly for a single term of eight years.
Pickup has been auditor general of British Columbia for four years under the current BC NDP government. He has served under two premiers: first John Horgan, and now David Eby. The Office of the Auditor General is independent
That has followed six years as auditor general of Nova Scotia and a 25-year career with the Auditor General of Canada.
“I want to express my thanks to everyone who has supported and worked with me during my time in BC,” Pickup said.
Career background:
A chartered professional accountant, Pickup holds a degree in Canadian economics and political science and has done post-graduate work at Western University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2020, he obtained a certification in Equity Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. He has also been a part-time professor at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa.
Pickup is Canada’s first and only openly gay auditor general and Indigenous auditor general, as a status Indian member of the Miawpukek First Nation. He was also born the second child of teenaged parents, from simple Cape Breton Island beginnings. “I hope I have shown Canadians who are different that, with hard work and collaborative support, one can rise to the most senior public sector positions in Canada,” Pickup said.
Pickup noted his pride in the work he has led as auditor general of B.C. and thanked his teams for their hard work and results. With a focus on a healthy workplace and employee well-being, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has seen increased employee engagement and satisfaction reflected in recent independent workplace employee surveys, with increases of 25 per cent in key indicators. “I leave an office that is a model of employee well-being and I thank staff for their commitment to a safe and inclusive workplace,” Pickup said.
Significant output:
The OAG has also produced significant output over the past four years, with nearly 40 reports to the Legislative Assembly, a large and diverse financial statement audit portfolio, a new follow-up reporting process on past audits, and modernized communications, including the use of videos, audits-at-a-glance, social media and extensive external engagement.
Some recent published reports by the Office of the BC Auditor General include:
- Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023/24 (June 2024)
- Examination of MNP’s Administration of the Advanced Research and Commercialization Grant Program (June 2024)
- Annual Follow-up Report: Performance Audit Recommendations (2019 – 2022) (May 2024)
- B.C.’s Toxic Drug Crisis: Implementation of Harm Reduction Programs (March 2024)
- The Audit of B.C.’s 2022/23 Summary Financial Statements: Areas of Interest (March 2024)
- Managing Hazardous Spills in B.C. (February 2024)
- Financial Statement Audit Coverage Plan for financial statement fiscal years ending in 2025, 2026, and 2027 (November 2023)
- Summary Financial Statements Audit: Supporting the Role of MLAs (November 2023)
- Service Plan 2024/25 – 2026/27 (October 2023)
- Board Oversight of Cybersecurity Risk Management at Vancouver Island University (August 2023)
The OAG also updated its physical workspace and put in place well-functioning hybrid work approaches. “Thanks to all staff for their hard work in delivering incredible high-quality output to MLAs and the people of BC,” Pickup said.
COVID phase:
Pickup relocated from Nova Scotia when his appointment began in 2020, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. He is appreciative of the warm welcome from staff and people across the province during the past four years.
“Audits come with a certain level of burden” to the offices and personnel being audited, Pickup explained in a media session in March 2021. So if there is good reason given to not being able to accommodate the audit process at a given time, that reason is listened to, he said at the time.
The COVID vaccine rollout “is something that’s worthy of audit”, the Auditor General said proactively in March 2021 (just a few months after the COVID immunization program had started), not in response to any particular media question.
Chipping away at the post-secondary file:
In August 2023, Pickup presented his case for taking a closer look at how cybersecurity risk was being handled in the post-secondary sector.
At that time, Selina Robinson was the minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, holding that post from December 2022 until she left cabinet in February 2024; before her the Post Secondary minister had been Anne Kang. In February 2024, Lisa Beare became Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
Back to the east coast:
“My thanks to those who welcomed me, including business leaders, union and labour groups, Indigenous leaders, the public service and many others,” Pickup said. The OAG applied knowledge gained from its outreach activities to inform the selection of audits and other work.
Covering news of a province’s audit process is probably not the jazziest of topics to cover for the daily news, and there is a lot of detail and historical context to consider. Pickup thanks the news media for their interest in the work of the OAG.
Pickup will return to the Maritimes to be closer to his large and extended family. “While I end a 35-year legislative audit career, I look forward to continuing to contribute to the public and private sectors in different ways going forward.”
===== RELATED:
Auditor General: Cyber security risk management at post-secondary institutions needs closer look (August 2, 2023)
Ten BC government audits postponed in busy COVID year (March 30, 2021)