Before the Auditor General Act of 1977, audit functions were not separate from other processes directed by the government. Appointments of auditors general prior to 1917 were more like the modern Comptroller General’s role. Note that during that period of time, a line of auditors general is listed in name only and this line is broken by inconsistent naming of the position when it was tied in to government. Pre-1917 auditor institutions in the province did not benefit from objectivity and independence from government – features of a modern auditing and legislative reporting function.*
The history of the audit-of-government functions in B.C. begins with Erma Morrison, FCA. To include earlier names would suggest that independence was not the distinguishing characteristic of the role.
Erma P. Morrison is renowned as British Columbia’s first independent auditor general, a pioneering role she assumed with dedication and distinction. Her tenure was marked by a steadfast commitment to transparency, accountability, and fiscal integrity in the province’s public sector. Morrison’s groundbreaking work laid the foundation for rigorous auditing standards that continue to benefit British Columbia today.
* According to Hon. E.M. Wolfe, Minister of Finance, “the auditor-general’s independence is his most valued asset.” See British Columbia Debates of the Legislative Assembly, Second reading, Auditor General Act, May 27, 1976, p. 2100.
Current auditor general
Michael A. Pickup, FCPA, FCA
Auditor General of B.C.
July 2020 – current
Auditor General Act, S.B.C. 2003 c. 2.
Michael A. Pickup was appointed Auditor General of British Columbia in July 2020, directly following his six-year term as Nova Scotia’s auditor general. Pickup is Indigenous, a status Indian member of the Miawpukek First Nation of Newfoundland. He is also a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
In July 2024 he announced his retirement and his term as B.C.’s auditor general will conclude on November 15, 2024.
Auditors general, past and present
Carol Bellringer
Auditor General
September 2014 – December 2019
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 2003 c. 2.
Russ Jones
A/ Auditor General
November 2019 – July 2020
May 2013 – August 2014
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 2003, c. 2
John Doyle
Auditor General
October 2007 – May 2013
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 2003, c. 2
Errol Price
A/ Auditor General
June 2007 – October 2007
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 2003 c. 2.
Arn Van Iersel
A/ Auditor General
June 2006 – June 2007
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 2003 c. 2.
Wayne Strelioff
Auditor General
March 2000 – May 2006
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 1976, c. 3 and
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 2003 c. 2.
George L. Morfitt
Auditor General
January 1988 – January 2000
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 1976, c. 3
Robert J. Hayward
A/ Auditor General
November 1986 – December 1987
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 1976, c. 3
Erma P. Morrison
Auditor General
September 1977 – October 1986
Auditor General Act
S.B.C. 1976, c. 3
Previous to the independent role of the auditor general, the following auditors general worked under the direct umbrella of the B.C. legislature:
- William Allison
April 1913 – January 1917 - John A. Anderson
December 1900 – April 1913 - James McBride Smith
January 1880 – January 1900
- John J. Austin
January 1879 - W.C. Berkeley
March 1873 – January 1878
- Robert Ker
September 1871
January 1866 – January 1871
August 1861 – May 1864 - Thomas R. Holmes
September 1871 to February 1873