Conservatives stall appointing replacement for Kevin Page, whom they attacked for exposing them.
by Samantha Bayard
OTTTAWA, January 30, 2013, Straight Goods News — Parliament’s first sitting day in 2013 had the NDP concerned that the successor to Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) Kevin Page will lose the power to anaylze governement finances. Page, appointed by Harper in 2008, has repeatedly come under attack from government members for revealing the truths that make them uncomfortable.
The PBO is an independent officer of the Library of Parliament created by the Harper government to fulfill a campaign pledge. Page was appointed in March 2008. His term, which has been marked by controversy because he has repeatedly pointed to government waste and financial inaccuracies, is almost up. NDP Finance Critic Peggy Nash says his successor could become a mouthpiece for the Prime Minister, so she has tabled a private member's bill to make the PBO an independent officer of Parliament.
"What the PBO was created for was to provide accountability for Canadians," Nash told SGNews. "If you remember, he was created from the Accountability Act on the heels of the sponsorship scandal and the point was to provide independent, economic analysis, timely information in real time for Canadians and not have to wait for an Auditor General to go back and tell us after the fact what has happened."
Peggy Nash wants PBO independent analysis to continue
NDP leader Tom Mulcair said Page has been vindicated each time he's disagreed with the Harper government. "Every time there’s been a discussion between the Conservative government and Kevin Page as Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Conservatives have attacked him because he refuses to deliver Conservative talking points," he said. "Every time there's been a debate or a discussion or a disagreement, Kevin Page has been proven 100 per cent of the time to be right. He’s fulfilling an essential role. He's providing Canadians and parliamentarians with the real information."
Tom Mulcair says credible information from the PBO is essential.
About Samantha Bayard
Samantha Bayard is a young journalist living and working out of Ottawa. She has been a contributor to the Straight Goods News family of websites since 2009. She is an avid cyclist and lover of animals.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.