OTTAWA — The Conservative government says the law doesn’t allow the appointment of an interim parliamentary budget officer to fill in until a successor is hired to replace Kevin Page.
Andrea Mandel-Campbell, a spokeswoman for Treasury Board President Tony Clement, said the legislation has no provisions to appoint an interim or acting budget officer if a new replacement is not found before Page’s five-year term expires in late March.
The PBO is at the centre of NDP motion debated in Parliament this week. The opposition wants the government to extend Page’s term and to bring in legislation to make the budget watchdog a fully independent officer of Parliament.
Although the Parliament of Canada Act is silent on the appointment of an interim budget officer, it does say the position is “renewable” for a term not exceeding five years. That means Page could be reappointed until his replacement is found. NDP leader Tom Mulcair made that appeal in a Jan. 20 letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Page has indicated that he would be willing to extend his term.
“It is crucial that parliamentarians, who are responsible in the coming months for providing oversight on the government’s annual budget, continue to have access to the PBO’s valuable advice,” Mulcair said in the letter. “For the sake of accountability, I hope you will agree to ask Mr. Page to stay on until his replacement is found.”
The Conservatives created the Parliamentary Budget Office in the Federal Accountability Act in 2006. Page is not an independent officer and now reports to the Library of Parliament.
With Page’s term expiring in less than two months, it is highly unlikely a replacement could be found before he leaves.
The library is forming a selection committee and recently hired headhunters Renaud Foster to help find recruits for the position.
Library officials say the search firm is developing the recruitment strategy and timeline for the search. The search committee will include former senior bureaucrats who are experienced in government budgeting as well as possible members from the private sector. The committee, chaired by Parliamentary Librarian Sonia L’Heureux, will present three candidates to the government,
The budget officer is appointed for a five-year term and serves “at pleasure” of the government compared to officers of Parliament, such as the auditor general, who are appointed “on good behaviour” and can only be removed for cause.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Kathryn May
Andrea Mandel-Campbell, a spokeswoman for Treasury Board President Tony Clement, said the legislation has no provisions to appoint an interim or acting budget officer if a new replacement is not found before Page’s five-year term expires in late March.
The PBO is at the centre of NDP motion debated in Parliament this week. The opposition wants the government to extend Page’s term and to bring in legislation to make the budget watchdog a fully independent officer of Parliament.
Although the Parliament of Canada Act is silent on the appointment of an interim budget officer, it does say the position is “renewable” for a term not exceeding five years. That means Page could be reappointed until his replacement is found. NDP leader Tom Mulcair made that appeal in a Jan. 20 letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Page has indicated that he would be willing to extend his term.
“It is crucial that parliamentarians, who are responsible in the coming months for providing oversight on the government’s annual budget, continue to have access to the PBO’s valuable advice,” Mulcair said in the letter. “For the sake of accountability, I hope you will agree to ask Mr. Page to stay on until his replacement is found.”
The Conservatives created the Parliamentary Budget Office in the Federal Accountability Act in 2006. Page is not an independent officer and now reports to the Library of Parliament.
With Page’s term expiring in less than two months, it is highly unlikely a replacement could be found before he leaves.
The library is forming a selection committee and recently hired headhunters Renaud Foster to help find recruits for the position.
Library officials say the search firm is developing the recruitment strategy and timeline for the search. The search committee will include former senior bureaucrats who are experienced in government budgeting as well as possible members from the private sector. The committee, chaired by Parliamentary Librarian Sonia L’Heureux, will present three candidates to the government,
The budget officer is appointed for a five-year term and serves “at pleasure” of the government compared to officers of Parliament, such as the auditor general, who are appointed “on good behaviour” and can only be removed for cause.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Kathryn May
No comments:
Post a Comment