Keynote Speaker
The Conservative Horizon

Ezra Levant (Conservative Pundit)

What is Stephen Harper's Conservative government going to do next? What are they thinking? Who are the real decision-makers -- and who are the powers behind the throne?

Those aren't just fascinating political questions, they're also critical business intelligence questions for people and organizations affected by the government, or trying to influence the government.

No one in Canada is better positioned to help decipher what's really going on at Parliament than Ezra Levant.

Risk Management – From Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) to Risk-Based Internal Audit Planning

Managing risk is not a luxury but a necessity for today’s organizations. Effective risk management begins with developing an effective corporate risk profile and implementing risk management across the organization. In this session, Mr. John Fraser, one of Canada’s leaders in the evolution of enterprise risk management you will be provided with practical advice, tips and lessons learned in implementing enterprise risk management and risk-based internal audit planning at Hydro One, one of Canada’s largest public sector organizations.

Speaker:
John R.S. Fraser, C.A., F.C.C.A., C.I.S.A., C.I.A.
Vice President, Internal Audit and Chief Risk Officer
Hydro One Inc.

Presentation

The New TB Policy in Internal Audit – the Implementation Journey: Challenges, Opportunities and Lessons Learned

The new TB Policy on Internal Audit is designed to ensure that, at both departmental and government-wide levels, internal audit and audit committees provide deputy heads of large departments and agencies and the Comptroller General, respectively, with added assurance, independent from line management, on risk management, control, and governance processes.  As departments and agencies have until April 1, 2009, many organizations are at varying stages of readiness. In this session a leading Chief Audit Executive will provide insight into the challenges, opportunities and lessons learned thus far in implementing this new policy and what lies ahead.

Speakers:
Brian Aiken, CIA, CFE
Chief Audit Executive
Royal Canadian Mounted Policy
Presentation

Tom Beaver,
Chief Audit Executive
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Presentation

Peter Everson, M.A, MBA
Chief Audit Executive
Industry Canada
Presentation

The Pathway to the Certified Internal Audit (CIA) Designation

With the introduction of the new TB Policy on Internal Audit, the qualification requirements for professional internal auditors is on an upward trend.  In this segment, participants will hear directly from Luc Lavoie, the Executive Director of the IIA Canada.   Mr. Lavoie will highlight the process and requirements for obtaining the CIA designation and provide personal tips and lessons learned based on his journey to date towards this important designation.

Speaker:
Luc Lavoie, MBA, CGA
Executive Director
IIA Canada

Presentation

Role of the CFO and Accountability

One of the key priorities to strengthen Financial Management in the Federal Government is the appointment of professionally accredited comptrollers to sign off on all new spending initiative in every government department.  Mike Hawkes, Chief Financial Officer, Public Works and Government Services Canada will provide insight into the role of a CFO and what it means to the Financial Community.

Mike Hawkes
Chief Financial Officer, Public Works and Government Services Canada

Presentation

Accrual-based Budgeting - A Departmental Perspective

The Government of Canada stated in the 1996 Budget that it "intends to move to full accrual accounting for budgeting and accounting purposes." The Department of National Defence (DND) is leading the way.  As of 2005, new budgetary resources provided to DND are accounted for on an accrual basis. DND has now begun to procure a portion of its new capital expenditures from accrual resources allocated in Budgets 2005 and 2006.  RAdm Weadon, ADM Financial and Corporate Services at DND, will discuss work underway in conjunction with Central Agencies to manage capital expenditures on an accrual basis, adapt the existing expenditure management framework and prepare the department for an eventual conversion of its A-Base capital budget into accrual resources.

Speaker:
Rear Admiral Bryn Weadon

Presentation

Implementing the new internal audit policy

On April 1, 2006, the new Directive on Departmental Audit Committees came into force.  The new policy required the deputy head of each department, other than small departments and agencies (SDAs), to establish an independent departmental audit committee.  The role of Departmental Audit Committee is to ensure that the deputy head has independent, objective advice, guidance, and assurance on the adequacy of the Department's control and accountability processes. Senior representatives will report on progress and lessons learned with respect to the New Audit Policy and implementation in their respective department.

Speakers:
Yves Vaillancourt, A/Executive Director, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Horizontal Audits
Presentation

Elizabeth Murphy-Walsh, Chief Audit Executive, Human Resources and Social Development Canada, Audit and Evaluation Directorate
Presentation

Amipal Manchanda, Director General, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Office of Internal Audit and Accountability

The State of the Future: Emerging High-impact Technologies

Corporations and government agencies grapple with the seemingly exponential rate of technological innovation and change. Predicting which emerging technologies will have significant effects on business and society can be a fool's errand. To help identify such technological developments and get advice on how to adapt, businesses started to engage the services of futurists. In this presentation we'll cover some of the promising technologies, picked by top futurists, and discuss the social, economic, and political changes that might result from their application. What new emerging technologies are likely to shape our future?  And what might this mean for government financial officers?

Speaker:
Leo Marland

Presentation

What a Financial Officer needs to know about realizing value from IT investments?

Most organizations continue to fall short of realizing the potential value of their investments in information technology.  This session will describe how financial officers should be involved in the acquisition and maintenance of financial systems.  We will also discuss best practices that should be considered to ensure best value from IT investments.

Speaker:
Richard Brisebois, CGA, CISA

Presentation

Information Privacy: The Secrets You Need to Know

Managing privacy issues in today's organizations is a constantly changing environment.  This session will paint a picture of the privacy landscape in Canada and discuss today's challenges in managing privacy issues in government entities.  The speaker will outline what organizations can do to mitigate privacy risks focussing on the roles for financial officers and internal auditors.

Speaker: 
Trevor Shaw, CA, CMC

Presentation

Citizen Centric Reporting

Virtually every country, state, province, municipality or city produces information to highlight the financial health and the issues. The problem is that only a small portion of the population actually read and understands this information.  The USA based Association of Government Accountants is a thought leader in accountability and has launched a user friendly, valuable document for the average citizen to get the pulse and learn what the real issues are.

Join Relmond Van Daniker as he shares the progress to date on Citizen Centric Reporting and outlines the global vision and benefits of having a report that the average citizen can appreciate.

To have an appreciation of the subject.... check out… and select a few reports

http://www.agacgfm.org/citizen/completed.aspx

Here is a comment from their website.

"New Opportunity to Connect Citizens and Government
The Association of Government Accountants (AGA) has launched a new project, the Citizen-Centric Government Reporting Initiative. This initiative encourages governments to produce and publish an annual 'state of the government' report that is no more than four pages long. The reports, designed to be visually appealing, provide understandable information to citizens about the financial condition and performance of the government. AGA believes that the report will make governments more accountable to their citizens and will help Americans become more educated citizens, who are better able to participate in government activities. The initiative is being piloted in localities across the country, and AGA is working with public interest groups interested in civic engagement, good government, transparency and accountability - along with their own local chapters -- to promote this project among local government officials."

Speaker:
Relmond Van Daniker, Executive Director, Association of Government Accountants (AGA)

Afghanistan Reconstruction

Canada is in Afghanistan at the request of the democratically elected government of Afghanistan as part of the UN-sanctioned mission to help build a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society.

Canada’s efforts in Afghanistan are guided by the Afghanistan Compact, a five-year international agreement to coordinate the work of the Afghan government and its international partners by outlining specific outcomes, as well as the benchmarks and timelines for their delivery in three priority areas: security, governance and development.

Canada is making important diplomatic, defence and development contributions to the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Be informed on the key issues and challenges and learn how best practices in financial management are a key success factor.

Speaker:
David Mulroney
Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Stephen Wallace
Vice-President, Afghanistan, CIDA

Afghanistan Reconstruction - continued

Speaker:
Brigadier-General Yvan Blondin Deputy Commander Force
Generation,1 Canadian Air Division, Department of National Defense

Christine LP Walker, Director General, Finance, Canadian International Development Agency

Communicating for Results

In today’s fast-paced, team-based working environments, effective communication skills are more important than ever. Productivity, quality and working relationships all require the effective flow of information from one person to another – and if you are able to articulate your views and ideas in a respectful and succinct manner, you will stand above the crowd as a superior performer.

In this interactive, hands-on workshop you will have opportunities to assess both your communication and influencing skills. We’ll look at the three communication styles so that you can assess your personal style and its impact on the interactions that you have with others. We’ll also look at what motivates people and how you can use 8 different strategies to influence them. Finally – we’ll talk feedback. Giving a compliment is usually pretty easy, but having to deliver “constructive” feedback may cause you some angst. You will learn a simple recipe for giving feedback and have chances to practice it in a safe and fun learning environment.

Speaker:
Janet Stewart-Lussier, CEO, NRL Group Incorporated