Internal Audit Charter
Introduction
The following constitutes the Internal Audit Charter of the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) and is based on the Joint Agreement between Agents of Parliament and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), the 2009 Treasury Board Policy on Internal Audit and chapter 1000 of the Institute of Internal Auditors’ International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing.
This Internal Audit Charter replaces the one adopted in 2009 by the Audit Committee and included in the 2008-2010 Risk-based Audit Plan.
Purpose and objectives of the internal audit charter
The OIC’s Internal Audit Charter is describing the purpose, authorities and responsibilities of the internal audit organization and the scope and nature of the services it provides.
This Internal Audit Charter establishes the framework of the OIC’s Internal Audit Function (IA Function) so as to ensure that internal audit provides the Commissioner with added assurance and advice, independent from line management, on risk management, control and governance processes.
Roles and Responsibilities
The commissioner’s responsibilities for internal audit
The Commissioner is responsible for all aspects of internal audit in the OIC, including:
Establishing an appropriately resourced IA Function that operates in accordance with the TBS policy, subject to the provisions agreed to by the Agents of Parliament and the government, and in accordance with professional internal auditing standards;
Establishing an independent Audit Committee (AC) that includes a majority of external members who are not currently in the federal public service;
Appointing a Chief Audit Executive (CAE) at a senior executive level, reporting to the Commissioner, to lead and direct Internal Audit;
Approving the OIC’s Risk Based Audit Plan that addresses all areas of higher risk and significance. The plan should also include individual internal audit engagements as well as being designed to support separate annual assurance overview reporting by the CAE on departmental risk management, control and governance processes.
Putting in place effective procedures to ensure systematic review of control and accountability processes in OIC. For example, this would include ensuring that the AC reviews with an appropriate risk-guided focus and OIC’s arrangements for: values and ethics; risk management; and management control framework, including management-led audits;
Ensuring that the AC receives all of the information and documentation needed or requested to fulfill its responsibilities, subject to applicable legislation;
Ensuring that the IA Function and their agents, for the purposes of carrying out assigned responsibilities, are given full access to OIC’s records, databases, workplaces and employees, and have the right to obtain information and explanations from OIC’s employees, subject to applicable legislation;
Ensuring that internal audit reports are publicly disclosed to the extent authorized by the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act;
Ensuring that management action plans are prepared adequately to respond to recommendations and findings arising from internal audits, and that the action plans are being effectively implemented;
Ensuring that the Internal Audit documents and audit results will be shared, upon request, with the appropriate Parliamentary Committee or the Parliamentary Panel on the Funding and Oversight of Agents of Parliament;
Monitoring to ensure appropriate adherence within OIC to the general principles and applicable requirements of the government’s IA Policy.
The audit committee’s responsibilities
Refer to the OIC Audit Committee Charter.
The chief audit executive’s responsibilities
An Internal Audit professional firm and the Director General, Corporate Services will jointly assume responsibility to ensure that the internal audit function at the OIC meets all operational aspects of the IA function, including:
Establishing appropriate policies and procedures to guide the use of internal audit within the OIC;
Preparing an annual risk-based audit work plan to set out the priorities of the IA Function, that are reflective of OIC objectives, concerns and priorities; integrated and coordinated with the corporate risk assessment and strategic planning process; inclusive of external audits of OIC financial statements reporting and controls; address concerns of the AEC; and, if appropriate, take consideration of issues of TBS that may be leading to government-wide horizontal audits;
Providing an annual overview assurance report on the effectiveness and adequacy of risk management, control and governance processes;
Conducting audits identified in the annual plan as approved by the Commissioner with the resources allocated, ensuring the timely completion of internal auditing engagements;
Ensuring that internal audit resources are appropriate, sufficient and effectively deployed to achieve the approved plan;
Ensuring that