Sonia L’Heureux, Canada’s interim Parliamentary Budget Officer, says Canadian government departments and agencies have once again failed to provide requested information so that she can do an analysis into the 2012 federal budget.
July 19th was the second deadline the government failed to meet. She had originally made a request in April, 2013.
In a statement released on Monday (July 22) she writes: “The first deadline for providing it came and went, and the majority of departments and agencies did not comply with the totality of my request. I informed the Speaker of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Commons. They asked me to write to the non-compliant departments and agencies again, requesting them to provide the information. That second deadline of July 19, 2013 came and went, and I have yet to be provided with all the information that I need to undertake the requested analysis. If and when I am provided with it, I look forward to performing the analysis and, thereby, discharging my legislative mandate.”
The position of Parliamentary Budget Officer was created by the ruling Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The first to occupy the position was Kevin Page. He too failed to get the requested information from government departments and agencies.
It was widely assumed that his insistence on doing his job led to the non-renewal of his mandate. Page’s determination to get at the facts, even if they contradicted official government positions, won him supporters across Canada, and criticism from government MPs and cabinet ministers.
After five years of service in the post, his last day on the job was on March 22, 2013.
More information:
CBC News – Budget watchdog complains of government stonewalling – here
Statement by Sonia L’Heureux, Parliamentary Budget Officer (interim) – here
RCI – On second last day on job, Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page talks to RCI (audio) – here
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