Merwan saher biography

Merwan Saher replaced as Clerk of Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Merwan Saher was replaced as Chief of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on Friday.

Saher’s replacement will be Shannon Dean, according to a news release issued Friday afternoon by Nathan Cooper, the new Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

“Ms. Dean has served the Legislative Assembly of Alberta honourably for more than two decades as an expert on parliamentary law and procedure,” he said. “She brings a wealth of executive management experience in the Legislative Assembly Office, recently serving as Acting Clerk of the Assembly.

Cooper said Dean will take over the post immediately.

In the Legislative Assembly, the Clerk is given the authority “equivalent to that of a deputy minister of a government department,” the news release said. “Under the direction of the Speaker, the Clerk has both procedural and managerial responsibilities.”

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READ MORE: Merwan Saher calls for long-term financial forecasts as oil revenue

The Auditor General’s role in the democratic system

Appointed under Alberta’s Auditor General Act, the Auditor General is the legislated auditor of every provincial ministry, department, and most provincial agencies, boards, commissions, and regulated funds. The audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General report on how government is managing its responsibilities and the province’s resources. Through our audit reports, we provide independent assurance to the 87 Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and the people of Alberta, that public money is properly accounted for and provides value. 

Alberta appointed its first provincial auditor in 1905. The role was to complete the examination of public records on behalf of the government. It wasn’t until the establishment of the Auditor General Act in 1978 that our office became independent of government and began reporting to all members of the Legislative Assembly. The Act also broadened our mandate to audit every provincial ministry, department, regulated fund, and most agencies, boards and commissions

'Unprecedented:' Clerk of Alberta legislative assembly fired

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Newly elected Speaker Nathan Cooper has fired the clerk of the legislature.

Merwan Saher, who was appointed by Cooper’s NDP predecessor days before the election, was let go on Friday.

Saher was replaced by Shannon Dean, who has worked in various non-partisan roles at the Alberta legislature for more than 20 years. She was acting clerk before Saher’s appointment.

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