and if the Chair exercises such powers and responsibilities,
the Chair shall report to the Committee with
respect to their actions.
In addition to the qualities set out in the Position Description for
Directors, all members of the Committee
should be financially literate or be willing and able to acquire
the necessary knowledge quickly.
Financially literate means the ability to read and understand
financial statements that present a breadth
and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable
to the breadth and complexity
of the issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised
by the Bank's financial statements.
At least
one member of the Committee shall have a background
in accounting or related financial management
experience which would include any experience or background
that results in the individual's financial
sophistication, including being or having been an auditor,
a chief executive officer,
chief financial officer or
other senior officer with financial oversight responsibilities.
In fulfilling the responsibilities set out in this Charter,
the Committee has the authority to conduct any
investigation it deems appropriate to, and access any officer,
employee or agent of the Bank for the
purpose of fulfilling its responsibilities, including the shareholders'
auditor.
The Committee may obtain advice and assistance from outside
legal, accounting or other advisors as the
Committee deems necessary to carry out its duties and
may retain and determine the compensation to be
paid by the Bank for such independent counsel or outside advisor
in its sole discretion without seeking
Committee members will enhance their familiarity with
financial, accounting and other areas relevant to
their responsibilities by participating in educational sessions
or other opportunities for development.
Meetings
The Committee shall meet at least four times annually,
or more frequently as circumstances dictate or as
the mandate requires.
The Committee shall meet with the shareholders'
auditor and management
quarterly to review the Bank's financial statements consistent with
the section entitled "Financial
Reporting" below.
The Committee shall dedicate a portion of each
of its regularly scheduled quarterly
meetings to meeting separately with each of the Chief
Executive Officer,
the Chief Financial Officer,
the
General Counsel, the Chief Auditor,
the Chief Risk Officer,
the Chief Compliance Officer,
the Chief Anti-
Money Laundering Officer,
and the shareholders' auditor and to meeting on its own
without members of
management or the shareholders' auditor present.
Any member of the Committee may make a request to
the Chair for a Committee meeting or any part thereof
to be held without management present. At each
Committee meeting, the Committee shall meet on its own without
members of management.
To
facilitate open communication between this Committee
and the Risk Committee, and where the Chair
of the Risk Committee is not a member of this Committee, the
Chair of the Risk Committee shall have a
standing invitation to attend each meeting of this Committee
at his or her discretion as a non-voting
observer and receive the materials for each such meeting. In
addition, this Committee shall meet with the
Risk Committee at least two times annually to discuss topics relevant
to both Committees.
The Committee may invite to its meetings any director,
member of management of the Bank or such other
persons as it deems appropriate in order to carry out its
responsibilities.
The Committee may also
exclude from its meetings any persons it deems appropriate
in order to carry out its responsibilities.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
Financial Reporting
The Committee is responsible for the oversight of reliable,
accurate and clear financial reporting to
shareholders, including reviewing and discussing the
Bank's annual and interim consolidated financial
statements and management's discussion and analysis
("MD&A") and reviewing the shareholders' auditor
opinion on the annual financial statements and on the
Bank's internal control over financial reporting, prior
to approval by the Board and release to the public, and
reviewing, as appropriate, releases to the public
of significant material non-public financial information of the
Bank.
Such review of the financial reports of
the Bank shall include, when appropriate but at least annually,
discussion with management, the Internal
Audit Division and the shareholders' auditor of significant
issues regarding accounting principles,