Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer Jason Jacques said the government told his office it will not meet its Nov. 19 deadline.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Federal departments are refusing to quickly hand over details related to the $60-billion in spending cuts outlined in the budget, says interim Parliamentary Budget Officer Jason Jacques.
The interim PBO has written to the Speakers of the House of Commons and the Senate, saying that the departments’ refusals violate the powers of his office to obtain such information.
Mr. Jacques told MPs on the government operations committee Thursday that his office has the power to compel such information, yet the government recently told his office it would not be meeting the PBO’s deadline of Nov. 19.
“So right now, we’re sort of in limbo on the remedy, because there is no remedy mentioned in the Parliament of Canada Act on instances where the department or Crown Corporation do not provide information to our office,” he told MPs.
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Mr. Jacques sent letters on Nov. 5 – the day after the budget – seeking spending-cut details from the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Correctional Service Canada, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Economic Development Agency of Canada.
He wrote to the Speakers on Nov. 13, after receiving a letter from the Office of the Comptroller General of Canada on Nov. 10.
Comptroller General Annie Boudreau, who led the Treasury Board’s Comprehensive Spending Review, wrote that the reductions had not yet been approved by Parliament. Once approved, she said the details would be shared “in a timely manner” to all relevant parties.
“Circumventing this process by providing the information to a third party beforehand could compromise employees’ trust in the government and jeopardize the management-union relationship,” she wrote.
“Moreover, as you can appreciate, personnel reductions have real consequences for people who serve their country and for their families. Releasing information before informing impacted employees could generate anxiety and uncertainty.”
The House of Commons approved the budget in a 170-168 vote Monday evening.
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The PBO’s letter to the Speakers said these are not eligible grounds for refusing information under the Parliament of Canada Act.
Mr. Jacques said Thursday that MPs should have had access to such information before they voted earlier this week to approve the budget.
“From our perspective, it was something that was certainly pertinent and valuable for parliamentarians to have as they voted on the budget. Ultimately, it proved not to be the case, which is why we referred the matter to the Speaker,” he said.
Conservative Treasury Board critic Stephanie Kusie raised the issue in a letter Monday to Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali, urging the government to respect the PBO’s deadline.
Ms. Kusie told The Globe and Mail Thursday afternoon that she has yet to receive a response from the minister, nor is she aware of any action that has been taken by House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia.
“It is incumbent on the Liberals to respect the PBO’s mandate and give his office the information needed to do his job independently,” she said.