Auditor general won't talk about a dozen departures from his office

New Brunswick's auditor general is refusing to say how many of a dozen departures from his office since the start of 2023 were firings. 

Paul Martin told reporters, however, that there's no connection between the huge staff turnover and the approach he took with his twice-delayed audit of the government's COVID-19 response.

"I can't speak to individual human resource matters. Any departures from our office had nothing to do with this report or any other report," Martin said during a news conference at the legislature.

Martin confirmed last month via a written statement that 12 people have left his office since the start of the year, and nine new people have been hired.

But he refused an interview request and was not available to answer questions until Thursday when he presented his latest report to the legislature's public accounts committee.

'Competitive' offers

Martin told reporters that some of the employees who left were lured away by competitive job offers from the private sector.

He said there's been an increase in job vacancies for financial auditors and accounts.

"We have some very strong, well-credentialed professionals with many opportunities, and the marketplace is hot right now," he said.

But he refused to say how many of the 12 left for that reason and whether any were fired.

Green Party Leader David Coon told Martin during his presentation to the public accounts committee of the legislature that he should have asked MLAs for additional funding so he could keep key employees from leaving during the COVID-19 audit.

"You've lost continuity, you've lost expertise," Coon said.

"Why wouldn't you have come to the legislature … to ask for an increase in your budget if your wages are not competitive with what the market is paying?"

Martin responded that he did point out the hot hiring market for auditors when he met over the last two years with the committee of MLAs that helps set his office budget.

"This shouldn't be a surprise," he told Coon. "I believe you were on that committee." 

Martin, who took over as auditor general at the start of 2022, said his office has adopted a new strategic plan that includes "building a strong team to achieve our mission, our goals and objectives."

Those departures represent more than one-third of the 32 employees who now work for the auditor general, an independent officer of the legislature whose mandate is to review government spending and programs.

Former deputy auditor general Janice Leahy and two senior auditors were among the 12 who left. Leahy was replaced by Deidre Green.

Reading from prepared notes, Martin said his office offers "a safe and welcoming work environment" to a diverse group of employees, which has allowed him to fill the vacancies.

"I think we've attracted some top-notch people that have replaced them, and believe in our mission to hold government accountable, to come forward with reports that matter," he said.