'You could fire him for telling the truth': Poilievre calls for interim budget watchdog to be appointed to full term
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for interim Parliamentary Budget Officer Jason Jacques to immediately be appointed to a full seven-year term, arguing that his lack of job security compromises his ability to hold the Liberal government to account for its fiscal profligacy.
Poilievre said in an open letter sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday that he suspected this was by design.
“To silence the watchdog, you’ve kept him on a short leash with a term that expires in 166 days, after which you could either renew or fire him, meaning you could fire him for telling the truth,” wrote Poilievre.
Jacques was appointed to a six-month term as interim PBO on Sept. 2, just as predecessor Yves Giroux’s seven-year term ended.
Officials signalled at the time that Jacques would serve as budget watchdog temporarily while the government searched for a permanent replacement.
But Poilievre says there’s no time to waste, with the Carney government’s first federal budget set to be introduced in just six weeks.
“We need a (PBO) now, more than ever, to tell Canadians how big a financial mess you’ve made (and) scrutinize the crooked accounting you have promised to use in the forthcoming budget,” wrote Poilievre.
Poilievre formally requested that Carney seek immediate approval from Parliament to appoint Jacques to a full seven-year term.
The letter comes after Jacques voiced concerns about the circumstances of his own hiring, and the general lack of accountability around installing an interim PBO.
Jacques told a parliamentary committee last week that, under the current rules, Carney could have chosen “ anybody in the world with a pulse” to be his temporary budget watchdog.
“It is ludicrous that this is hoisted on you who is selected by the head of the executive branch, and it could have been anybody,” said Jacques.
In his committee appearance, Jacques also expressed “considerable concern” over the Carney government’s lack of fiscal anchors restraining excess spending.
Unlike the permanent PBO, an interim appointee does not need to be approved by Parliament. It’s also unclear if the prime minister can keep an interim PBO on board for consecutive terms.
Jacques is the second interim PBO in the office’s twenty-year history. The first, Sonia L’Heureux, held the job for just over five months in 2013 before a permanent appointee was named.
The Liberals will table the federal budget on Nov. 4. and Carney has told Canadians to expect a “substantial” deficit .
National Post
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