Trafalgar-Ross Lecture

2012 Speaker - Sheila Fraser

Sheila Fraser served as Auditor General of Canada from 2001 to 2011, the first woman to hold this position. As Auditor General, Ms. Fraser focused the Office’s efforts on serving the needs of parliamentarians and ensuring they had objective and reliable information with which to scrutinize government activities and hold the government to account for its stewardship of public funds.

Born in Dundee, Quebec, Ms. Fraser earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in 1972 and became a Chartered Accountant in 1974. Before joining the Office of the Auditor General in 1999, Ms. Fraser enjoyed a fruitful and challenging career with the firm of Ernst & Young, where she became a partner in 1981.

Ms. Fraser has always been active in her profession, at both the provincial and national levels. For her noteworthy service to the auditing and accounting professions, she was awarded the designation "Fellow" by the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec in 1994 and by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 2000. She was a 2009 recipient of the ICAO Award of Outstanding Merit, the highest honour that the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario can bestow upon its members Ms. Fraser has also been awarded honorary degrees from 13 Canadian universities, which recognize her contribution to the fields of accounting, legislative auditing and public administration.

One of the school's most celebrated activities linking past and present is the Trafalgar-Ross Lecture. Donald Ross stipulated in his will that an annual lecture be given at the school "...on suitable subjects, in science, history, literature, and religion..." The Lectureship was re-established in 1981 to perpetuate the memory and intention of our founder, Donald Ross, "to bring before a large audience of students, Old Girls, parents, staff and friends of the school, a speaker of prominence and personal distinction, whose address will prove of lasting influence and inspiration for our students." Now called the Trafalgar-Ross Lecture, outstanding Canadians such as Maureen Forrester, Marc Garneau, David Suzuki and Adele Wiseman are invited each year to address the school during the month of October. Click here for the complete list of past speakers.