Quick Facts
Biography
L. Denis Desautels, OC (born May 14, 1943) is a Canadian accountant, corporate director, and former Auditor General of Canada.
Born in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, Desautels received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management in 1964 and became a Chartered Accountant in 1966.
In 1964, he joined the Montreal accounting firm of Clarkson Gordon (now Caron Bélanger Ernst & Young). While working in the Ottawa office he participated in an exchange program with the office of the Auditor General. From April 1, 1991 until March 31, 2001 he was the Auditor General of Canada.
He has served on the board of directors of CARE Canada, the Laurentian Bank of Canada, Groupe Jean Coutu (PJC) Inc., Bombardier Inc. and Alcan Inc.
Honours
He was named a Fellow by the Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec in 1986 and a Fellow by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 1991. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Ottawa and from the University of Waterloo. In 2001, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of "a distinguished career in the private sector" and for having "served his country with dedication and integrity as Auditor General of Canada".