OGGO meeting 2 · 2025-09-16 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) met to study the committee’s future business, hearing from Jason Jacques, the Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) of the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Jason Jacques stated that his primary message was one of stability and continuity, with the PBO remaining committed to providing independent, non-partisan analysis. He noted that the government currently lacks clear fiscal anchors and has not defined what constitutes "operating" versus "capital" spending, making it impossible to evaluate fiscal targets. He recommended that the government provide clear definitions to avoid confusion and that parliamentarians use the PBO’s upcoming economic and fiscal baseline to prepare for budget 2025. Jacques disagreed with the government’s housing target of 500,000 units per year, stating the PBO’s analysis suggests a lower number is needed to avoid an unprecedented vacancy rate. He also revealed that the PBO voluntarily offered a 5% budget cut starting in 2026-27 and that he took a $50,000 salary reduction, noting that the process for appointing an interim PBO—done solely by the Prime Minister without parliamentary input—is a legislative gap that should be fixed. He confirmed that the deficit will be higher than previously forecast, partly due to lost tariff revenue and new spending, and that the PBO has not been consulted by the government on its emissions cap or production cap.

The committee adopted its future business plan and approved the budget for the study.

AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.

Witnesses · 1

Jason Jacques

Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer, Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer

Opening remarks

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning, distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for the invitation to appear before you today. My name is Jason Jacques. I am honoured to serve Parliament as the interim Parliamentary Budget Officer. You have me for another 166 days unless the Prime Minister appoints somebody else for a seven-year term more quickly. As I begin my term, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the work of my predecessor, Yves Giroux. Mr. Giroux set high standards of excellence that were recognized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the OECD, which ranked Canada as the number one country in the world for independent tax institutions. The entire team at the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, myself included, is determined to maintain the quality and integrity of the work he has done. My primary message to this committee today is one of stability and continuity. Our office remains steadfastly committed to its core mandate: providing independent, non-partisan analysis of the nation's finances, the government's estimates and the Canadian economy. Parliamentarians and the public can be confident that our work will continue…

Full testimony ↗