Alternative plan for PBO

A think tank led by former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page has laid out some advice for the Trudeau government on how to make the federal watchdog truly independent.

The list of recommendations from Page’s team at the University of Ottawa comes amid concerns that proposed legislation introduced last week to transform the PBO would hurt its independence.

The government is proposing expanded powers as well as new restrictions for the PBO, which is designed to serve parliamentarians as an non-partisan check on the management of government finances.

A paper released by Page’s Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy praises proposed changes that would make the PBO an officer of Parliament, extend the tenure to seven years and give parliamentarians a role in selecting the officer.

However, it says the legislation falls short of the government’s vow to strengthen the PBO’s independence and will even weaken the office in some respects.

The institute recommends the proposal be amended so the PBO may continue to freely publish its findings in public without undergoing review by government officials, elected or not. It also says Ottawa should overturn changes that would require the PBO to submit its annual work plans to the Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons for approval.

“Requiring approval of its work plan by the Speakers, other political actors, or civil servants, undermines the ability of the PBO to undertake proactive, objective analysis and risks political or other interference, or the perception of interference, in the delivery of its analysis,” reads the document, which was prepared by Helaina Gaspard.