AUTUMN 2012
FMI
*
IGF JOURNAL
9
I am confident, with the efforts of
the Financial Management Institute
along with the individual efforts of each
financial officer in our federal, provincial
or territorial and municipal jurisdictions
collaborating together as communities; we
will be faster, higher and stronger in our
quest for financial management excellence
for Canadians.
Congratulations!
Congratulations again to all of the mem-
bers of the Financial Management Insti-
tute and to the executives of the local and
national Financial Management Institute
organizations. Your contributions are
worthy of gold medal recognition!
Enjoy your 50
th
anniversary celebrations
this year!
skills and courage, I cannot help but think
of the Olympic motto developed in 1894 of
“Citius, Altius, Fortius,”
which is Latin for
“Faster, Higher, and Stronger.”
Our community will not rest on its
laurels. New challenges arise every day,
requiring us to be faster, higher and
stronger in our service to Canadians. Our
challenges include the following:
• Focus on cost containment;
• Increased desire for transparency;
• Increased financial rigour;
• Alternative sources of service delivery; and
• Increased financial accountability and
performance.
We need to work together in order to
meet these challenges and expectations.
Never have expectations been greater, and
we need to be innovative in finding ways to
meet them.
As I write, discussions continue at the
highest level in our profession regard-
ing the proposed Chartered Professional
Accountant designation, which would see
a potential merging of the three Canadian
accounting designations, albeit in differ-
ent forms in each province, across Canada.
We await the outcome of these discussions
across 13 different jurisdictions, as they
will alter the landscape of professional
accounting certification in Canada. This
will surely impact our community greatly,
as it will change the certification process
and professional development programs
offered by and to the federal government
financial management community.
In 2012, the OCGwill also focus its com-
munity development efforts on the mid-
career financial officer building up to the
chief financial officer (CFO) level. Given
the recent demographic situation of the
CFO community and the recent change in
role of this position to key business advisor
to deputy heads, the Comptroller General
has made this one of his key priorities for
2012. His office will devote significant ef-
forts in 2012 and 2013 to the CFO talent
management process. This process will be
launched in fall 2012 with the objective of
ensuring an adequate supply of qualified
individuals in the community who can ful-
fill the requirements of the CFO position.
The financial management community is a
key stakeholder in this initiative.
“Citius, Altius, Fortius”
As this article is being written at the time
of the London 2012 Summer Olympics
and our Canadian athletes are making us
proud with their phenomenal strength,
About the Author
Juliet Woodfield, CA, has recently joined the Office of the Comptroller General from the Office
of the Auditor General (OAG) of Canada. She brings many years of experience as a financial
manager and auditor. Most recently, her roles and responsibilities at the OAG included the
oversight of the financial audits of several federal government departments, agencies, and crown
corporations. In addition, she has been a member of the Professional Practices Group at the
OAG, having team lead responsibility for the transition of the OAG to the new Canadian Auditing
Standards (CAS). She has participated in the community development of the over 500 financial
and provincial legislative auditors across Canada by developing and providing training on the
conversion to CAS and on the transition to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
Mrs. Woodfield has held various financial controllership roles including the Deputy Financial
Officer of the NATO Security Investment Program in Brussels, Belgium; Director of Finance for a
mid-size hospital in Cold Lake, Alberta; and Controller for an oil and gas company in Calgary.
Mrs. Woodfield grew up in Calgary, Alberta and obtained her Bachelor of Commerce degree
from the University of Calgary and her Chartered Accountant designation from the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Alberta. She very much enjoys living in the National Capital Region
with her family.
WELCH LLP WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE OF
CANADA ON THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY
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