An excellent question. I think you're absolutely right. The parliamentary budget officer has no accountability, per se, to Canadians. That accountability of holding the executive to account rests solely with individual MPs, and this committee plays a very important role. How they operate, how the requests are provided to the parliamentary budget office, how they are prioritized... Are they prioritized on materiality? Are they prioritized on risk?
Really, it's how that function is played out. A lot of this operating model exists outside legislation, but I think the mandate plays a very critical role. What is the scope of duties that the parliamentary budget officer and office will provide to you? Again, it should be clearly laid out in terms of those specific products. I think, as well, the individual relationships to committees should be spelled out in legislation, and the role of the parliamentary budget officer to individual MPs, as well.