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79.21 (1) During the period described in subsection (2), the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall, at the request of an authorized representative or a member, estimate the financial cost of any election campaign proposal that the authorized representative’s party or the member is considering making.

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Marginal note:Additional information

(4) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may, in writing, request additional information from an authorized representative of the party on behalf of which an estimate was requested or from the member who made a request for an estimate.

Marginal note:Ministerial agreement

(5) A minister who presides over a department within the meaning of paragraph (a) of the definition department in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act may, at the request of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, personally agree that his or her department will provide assistance to the Parliamentary Budget Officer in preparing estimates under subsection (1) during the period described in subsection (2).

Marginal note:Confidentiality

(6) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall not disclose to a minister any information related to a request for an estimate under subsection (3).

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Marginal note:Confidentiality

(8) If the Parliamentary Budget Officer makes a request to a deputy referred to in paragraph 7(a) for assistance in preparing an estimate under subsection (1), the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall not disclose to the deputy or any other person in the department the identity of the party on behalf of which the estimate was requested or the identity of the member who made the request for an estimate.

Marginal note:Confidentiality

(9) Except for the purposes of subsection (10), information that is obtained or created in the provision of assistance referred to in subsection (8) shall not be disclosed to any person other than the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

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Marginal note:Withdrawal of request

(11) An authorized representative of the party on behalf of which the estimate was requested or the member who made the request may withdraw it, in writing, before a report containing the estimate is provided to an authorized representative or the member. If a request is withdrawn, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall discontinue work on the request and shall not disclose the request or the estimate.

Marginal note:Report

(12) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall provide a report containing the estimate to an authorized representative of the party on behalf of which the estimate was requested or to the member who made the request.

Marginal note:Proposal publicly announced

(13) An authorized representative of the party on behalf of which an estimate was requested or the member who made a request shall notify the Parliamentary Budget Officer, in writing, if the proposal for which the estimate is requested has been publicly announced.

Marginal note:Report made public

(14) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall make a report available to the public as soon as feasible after the report has been provided to the authorized representative or the member under subsection (12) and the Parliamentary Budget Officer has been notified that the policy proposal has been publicly announced. However, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall not make the report available to the public on or after the date of the general election.

Marginal note:Estimate not completed

(15) If, in the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s opinion, he or she does not have sufficient time or information to complete a requested estimate within the period described in subsection (2), the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall notify an authorized representative of the party on behalf of which the estimate was requested or the member who made the request, in writing, that he or she is discontinuing work on the estimate and that it will not be completed.

Marginal note:Publication of request and statement

(16) If the Parliamentary Budget Officer discontinues work on a request under subsection (15) and the request is for an estimate of the financial cost of a proposal that has been publicly announced, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall, before the end of the period described in subsection (2), publish the request and a statement of the reasons why the request could not be completed.

79.11 (1) The Parliamentary Budget Officer has the rank of a deputy head of a department of the Goverment of Canada and has the control and management of the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Marginal note:Powers to contract

(2) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may, in carrying out the work of the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, enter into contracts, memoranda of understanding or other arrangements.

Marginal note:Staff

(3) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may employ any officers and employees and may engage the services of any agents and mandataries, advisers and consultants that the Parliamentary Budget Officer considers necessary for the proper conduct of the work of the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Marginal note:Technical assistance

(4) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may engage on a temporary basis the services of persons having technical or specialized knowledge necessary for the proper conduct of the work of the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Marginal note:Authorization

(5) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may, subject to the conditions that he or she sets, authorize any person to exercise any powers under subsections (2) to (4) on behalf of the Parliamentary Budget Officer that he or she may determine.

Marginal note:Salaries

(6) The salaries of the officers and employees of the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall be fixed according to the scale provided by law.

Marginal note:Payment

(7) The salaries of the officers and employees of the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, and any casual expenses connected with the office, shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament for that purpose.

Marginal note:Estimate to be prepared

(8) Before each fiscal year, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall cause to be prepared an estimate of the sums that will be required to pay the charges and expenses of the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer during the fiscal year.

79.2 (1) During periods when Parliament is not dissolved, the Parliamentary Budget Officer

• (a) may prepare reports containing the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s analysis of any of the following federal government documents:

  • (i) a budget tabled by or on behalf of the Minister of Finance,

Marginal note:Reports to be tabled

(2) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall provide any report prepared under paragraph (1)(a) or (b) to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons, who shall each table the report in the House over which he or she presides. The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall make the report available to the public one business day after the day on which the report is provided to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Marginal note:Request by committee

(3) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall provide a report containing the research and analysis or estimate requested by a committee under paragraph (1)(c), (d) or (e) to the chair of the committee that requested it. The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall make the report available to the public one business day after the day on which the report is provided to the chair of the committee that requested it.

Marginal note:Request by member

(4) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall provide a report containing the estimate requested under paragraph (1)(f) to the member of the Senate or of the House of Commons who requested it. The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall make the report available to the public one business day after the day on which the report is provided to the member.

Marginal note:If Parliament is dissolved

(5) If Parliament is dissolved before a report is provided to the chair of the committee or to the member under subsection (3) or (4), the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall discontinue work on the request.

79.1 (1) The Governor in Council shall, by commission under the Great Seal, appoint a Parliamentary Budget Officer after consultation with the following persons and after approval of the appointment by resolution of the Senate and House of Commons:

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Marginal note:Experience and expertise

(1.1) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall have demonstrated experience and expertise in federal or provincial budgeting.

Marginal note:Tenure

(2) The Parliamentary Budget Officer holds office during good behaviour for a term of seven years but may be removed for cause by the Governor in Council on address of the Senate and House of Commons.

Marginal note:Reappointment

(3) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may be reappointed for one or more terms of up to seven years each. However, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall serve no more than 14 years in office in total.

Marginal note:Interim appointment

(4) In the event of the absence or incapacity of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, or if that office is vacant, the Governor in Council may appoint any person to hold that office in the interim for a term not exceeding six months, and that person shall, while holding office, be paid the remuneration and expenses that may be fixed by the Governor in Council.

Marginal note:Remuneration and expenses

(5) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall be paid the remuneration and expenses fixed by the Governor in Council.

79.13 (1) Before each fiscal year, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall prepare an annual work plan for that year that includes

• (a) criteria for the allocation of resources to the various functions within the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s mandate;

• (b) a list of matters of particular significance relating to the nation’s finances or economy that, in the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s opinion after consultation with the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons, should be brought to the attention of the Senate and the House of Commons during the year; and

• (c) a statement of the manner in which the Parliamentary Budget Officer intends to prioritize requests for his or her services from parliamentary committees and members of the Senate and the House of Commons.

Marginal note:Annual work plan updated

(2) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may update the annual work plan as required during the fiscal year.