House committee asks to interview shortlist of budget watchdog candidates

A committee of MPs is asking the government for a shortlist of candidates as it seeks to find a new permanent parliamentary budget officer (PBO) — after the interim fiscal watchdog raised concerns about Canada’s finances.

A motion adopted at the House government operations committee on Thursday is also requesting that a subcommittee be allowed to interview the potential candidates behind closed doors — and make recommendations to the government on who should be selected for the permanent position.

“I believe there needs to be a PBO appointed to full-time position who is vetted by parliamentarians,” said Conservative MP Kelly Block, who moved the motion.

The motion was adopted with Conservatives and Bloc members voting in favour while the Liberals voted against.

The PBO is a nonpartisan officer of Parliament, providing independent economic and financial analysis to the Senate and the House of Commons.

As it stands, the PBO is appointed by the government after conducting consultations with the leaders of recognized parties and groups in both houses of Parliament. According to the Parliament of Canada Act, the appointment must also be approved by both chambers.

Block said the interview process she proposed should be considered part of the consultation process outlined in the act.

Thursday’s motion was adopted in the wake of the government appointing Jason Jacques to the PBO role on an interim basis earlier this fall.

In one of his first committee appearances in September, Jacques criticized the government’s spending as as "stupefying," "shocking" and "unsustainable."

Last week, in the wake of the Liberal government releasing its budget, Jacques released a new report that slightly contrasted his earlier remarks. He said that while the government is unlikely to meet its deficit targets, the federal finances are sustainable over the long term.

The government released a posting for a permanent PBO shortly after the budget was released that called for applicants with "tact and discretion.”

During Thursday’s committee meeting, Conservative MP Tamara Jansen asked Jacques about the wording in the job posting and suggested the government wants someone who might be less keen to criticize its fiscal position.

“It kind of sounds like they want to make sure that somebody’s going to keep things on the downlow,” Jansen said.

Jacques disagreed with her assessment. He said his interpretation of that wording applies to meetings he would have with all parliamentarians.