Conservatives De-Politicize PBO Appointment Process
Ottawa, ON – Yesterday, the Government Operations and Estimates committee passed a Conservative motion to ensure all recognized parties are part of the consultation process to choose a permanent Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO). The PBO is appointed for a seven-year term, as specified in the Parliament of Canada Act.
“There needs to be a PBO appointed to a full-term position, vetted by parliamentarians, who is free to do the non-partisan work of bringing transparency and accountability to the government’s finances,” said MP Kelly Block, Conservative Member of Parliament for Carleton Trail—Eagle Creek.
During testimony in September, the interim PBO raised a number of concerns about the current process of selecting a candidate for the interim position. He noted that legislation allows the Prime Minister to select anyone. There are currently no requirements that the individual be a Canadian citizen, have prior relevant experience, or be bilingual.
After his appointment, Conservatives raised concerns about the temporary nature of the interim position and the Prime Minister having the power to renew or fire the interim PBO after six months.
The Conservatives’ motion would require the committee to interview potential candidates for the permanent position and issue a recommendation for the appointment to the Prime Minister. “We are simply asking to be part of a consultation process that is already set out in the Parliament of Canada Act,” MP Block noted.
In an effort to promote a fair and transparent process for selecting a candidate to be appointed to the seven-year term, there will need to be unanimous agreement from the committee.