Feds changes may undermine PBO

The head of an agency that has spent years shining a light for Canadians on the sometimes-opaque world of government spending is slamming the Trudeau government for its plan to give his office a makeover.

Parliamentary budget officer Jean-Denis Frechette laid out detailed arguments Wednesday on how proposed legislation would limit the freedom and capabilities of an office with a track record of getting under the skin of governments.

Frechette’s office — also known as the PBO — is designed to serve parliamentarians as a check on the management of the nation’s finances.

“Those restrictions will undermine PBO’s functional independence and its effectiveness in supporting parliamentarians to scrutinize government spending and hold the government to account,” Frechette said Wednesday in a statement that accompanied a discussion paper on the legislation.

The government has faced criticism since proposing the changes last month and, following the backlash, the Liberals have said they are open to tweaks.

Frechette said the most concerning proposals include new controls over the PBO by the House of Commons and Senate Speakers, limits on the office’s freedom to initiate reports and restrictions on individual parliamentarians’ ability to request estimates.

Among the changes, the legislation would require the PBO to submit its annual work plans to the Speakers of both parliamentary houses for approval.

In addition, the law would prevent the PBO from making a report public until a day after it is provided to the Speakers or to the parliamentary committee that requested the research.