General

Confidential? Not on his watch…

Kevin Page says his office’s reports should be made public

Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page knows that these days, he needs to be “very well-behaved.” Last month, Page was chastised by Parliament for showing too much independence. And this week—just as Page is about to release his massive, five-year forecast on the economy—Parliament has issued a new set of rules aimed at reigning in his office. Still, Page says there are limits to what he’s willing to do. And he¹s drawing the line at producing confidential reports for MPs, instead insisting that his agency should maintain an “open access” approach. It seems that opposition MPs agree. “[Parliamentary officials] have gone too far in shackling [Page], in controlling him,” Liberal Finance critic John McCallum insists. “And in particular, I think when he does reports of the kind that he’s releasing on Monday, he should just release it. He should not have to get the agreement of the Finance Committee because then you get into a partisan debate.” The PMO was set up as a parliamentary watchdog, Liberal critics say. And that goal of accountability is threatened each time parliament steps in. Page’s report is to be released to the House Finance Committee first on Monday and then made public on Wednesday.

The Hill Times

The Hill Times

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