As part of the interim appointment, the understanding I have and what's been explained to me by both the Prime Minister's Office and the Privy Council Office is that at the end of the interim appointment, I will return to my old job in the Parliamentary Budget Office as the director general of economic and fiscal analysis.
The Prime Minister's Office asked me if I would be willing to continue for a full seven-year mandate, and I explained to them that it wasn't up to them. They can propose whomever they want, and it's up to parliamentarians to make the determination regarding who will serve them as their Parliamentary Budget Officer for a seven-year term.
I think the best path.... We'll see who the Prime Minister ultimately decides to nominate and put forward to you for a seven-year term. If the Prime Minister, through his office, asks me to serve, I would certainly be willing to be a candidate, but ultimately it's up to parliamentarians to make that determination.
The position of Parliamentary Budget Officer was created under the Parliament of Canada Act, so it's not a government position; it's a parliamentary position. The office was created to support parliamentarians in their understanding and enhance their understanding of the budget and to support parliamentarians in challenging what the government is bringing forward.
It's really not up to me. I would argue it's not even up to the government, either on the public service side or on the Prime Minister's side. It's up to parliamentarians to determine whether the candidate the Prime Minister wants to bring forward is the candidate they think is best placed to actually support them in their deliberations.