Ferguson died Saturday in Ottawa, reports CBC Canada, surrounded by his wife, Georgina, and sons, Malcolm and Geoffrey, his office said.
“Mr. Ferguson had been undergoing treatment for cancer since last November. Unfortunately, the treatment was unsuccessful,” a statement from his office said. “Our thoughts and condolences go out to Mr. Ferguson’s wife and sons at this difficult time.”
A spokesperson for the auditor general’s office said Mr. Ferguson had not taken leave from his job while seeking treatment for his cancer, according to the National Post.
“He was still very much involved in the management of the office. This is actually quite sudden,” said Francoise Guyot, the office’s director of external communications.
Mike Ferguson’s lifetime of exemplary service to Canadians and his important work as Auditor General will have a lasting impact on our country. My deepest condolences to his wife Georgina, his sons, and his loved ones.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 2, 2019
Ferguson was appointed to the position of Auditor General in November 2011 by then Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Opposition party members at first refused to endorse Ferguson because he didn’t speak French. He did learn the language, gaining a great deal of respect for his reports on government spending.
According to Global News, Ferguson graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1980 with a bachelor of business administration and went on to earn his chartered accountant designation in 1984.
The statement from Ferguson’s office said he was “much appreciated by his staff and respected by parliamentarians and government officials alike. “He cared deeply about conducting audits that brought value to the public service, always for the greater good of Canadians,” the statement read.
