Government Operations and Estimates

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) met on November 20, 2025, to study Budget 2025. The witnesses were Jason Jacques, Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer, and his colleagues Kristina Grinshpoon, Caroline Nicol, Mark Mahabir, and Diarra Sourang from the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).

Jason Jacques opened by describing a strategic reorientation of the PBO toward more engagement with parliamentarians and less with media, a finalized plan for a 5% budget reduction, and an ongoing OECD legislative review of the office. He stated that based on the PBO's analysis, there is a low probability the government will achieve its new fiscal anchors, including balancing the operational budget and maintaining a declining deficit-to-GDP ratio, and he noted the government dropped the debt-to-GDP anchor from Budget 2025 without public discussion.

Kristina Grinshpoon clarified that the PBO estimates only a 7.5% probability the government will meet its deficit-to-GDP anchor, which requires deficits to decline every year over the projection horizon.

Caroline Nicol explained that the government's definition of capital investment is more expansive than the standard national accounts definition, making it difficult to directly link some budget measures to asset accumulation. She noted that under the PBO's preferred definition, capital investments vary between $30 billion and $40 billion annually, while the government's definition shows a higher figure.

Mark Mahabir reported that the PBO submitted information requests to five departments regarding budget data, but the departments refused to provide the information, and the Parliament of Canada Act offers no remedy for such non-compliance. He also noted that the PBO has asked the Department of National Defence for reconciliation data on the $82 billion in defence spending announced in the budget.

Diarra Sourang stated that of the $1-trillion investment plan in the budget, only approximately $35 billion is directly attributable to Budget 2025 under the government's definition of capital investment, and the PBO has no details on private sector commitments or how much of the total is expected from private investors.

During the meeting, a motion was moved by Kelly Block to recommend that the Prime Minister's Office and Privy Council Office submit a shortlist of candidates for the permanent PBO position to the committee, that the committee interview them, and that the appointment require unanimous agreement of the committee. Marie-Hélène Gaudreau moved a subamendment to refer the process to the subcommittee on agenda and procedure, to meet in camera, and to set a 14-day deadline for the shortlist. After debate, the subamendment was defeated on a tie vote, with the chair's ruling sustained. The committee then adjourned without a vote on the main motion.