Mr. Chair and members of the committee, I am very pleased to be here this afternoon to explain the technical aspects of the text in section 7 of Part 4 regarding the Parliamentary Budget Officer and the Board of Internal Economy.
I will start with the proposed legislative amendments for the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
The proposed legislation fulfills the government's commitments to ensure that the parliamentary budget officer is properly funded and independent, with a mandate focused on accuracy and transparency in costing.
The parliamentary budget officer, as we know, supports Parliament by providing an expert and objective source of research and analysis on fiscal and economic matters. These amendments will strengthen this important resource for parliamentarians in several ways, and I'll lay out a couple of them.
First, it would establish the PBO as an independent officer of Parliament, separate from the Library of Parliament, with his or her own dedicated office.
Second, it would appoint the PBO to serve a term of seven years, removable for cause, rather than serving at the pleasure of the current or sitting government, with the appointment and removal of the PBO subject to parliamentary approval, meaning both the Senate and House of Commons.
Three, it would ensure that the work of the PBO is responsive to the needs of parliamentarians and parliamentary committees.
Four, it would provide the PBO with wider access to relevant government information to better inform the research and analysis provided to Parliament.
Under the proposed legislation, the PBO's mandate would also include for the first time the costing of election platforms and proposals at the request of political parties, providing a credible non-partisan way of assessing a party's fiscal plans and encouraging informed public dialogue. These changes would provide parliamentarians with the information and analysis they need to best serve Canadians and effectively hold the government to account.
Regarding the Board of Internal Economy, the proposed legislative changes are part of the government's delivery of its commitment to more open and transparent government. The government is proposing to end the secrecy that surrounds the Board of Internal Economy, which, as you know, is the body that makes decisions and provides direction on the financial and administrative matters of the House of Commons. The proposed legislative changes would make the board's meetings open by default. This means that in all cases but those involving sensitive or personal information, the business of the Board of Internal Economy would be made public. It is important to note that the proposed changes would not change the role or the composition of the board. All recognized parties would continue to be given representation on the board.
With those introductory remarks, we would be happy to take any questions you might have.