Finance committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to meet with the committee today and to provide you with a status report on our efforts to establish a parliamentary budget officer within the Library of Parliament. I have invited Jacques Sabourin, Acting Director General

Finance committee  The Library of Parliament reports through the Speaker. It's a parliamentary body. The others report through the executive. They're governmental bodies. As an officer of Parliament, it's more appropriate that I appear on my own. It's not a question of not wanting to do anything.

Finance committee  It is independent within the library. The library is an independent institution. The library serves members of Parliament from all parties and in both chambers.

Finance committee  That's the purpose of the library. We function basically on the same basis as the Clerk of the House of Commons and the Clerk of the Senate, to serve you. June, who is sitting up at the front of the table, and Alexandre work for the Library of Parliament to provide you with adv

Finance committee  Should not.

Finance committee  No. What I'm saying is that we should not necessarily build the capacity within the library, because there are forecasting firms that already do this. So what we were going to do was independently contract with the forecasting firms once the officer is in place and the requiremen

Finance committee  We're independent of the Finance officials.

Finance committee  I'm going to let Allan explain this.

Finance committee  I submitted my recommendations to the leader of the government in the House of Commons. That is as far as my responsibility goes. I am waiting, just like you are. That said, if you want to adopt a motion, you can take the initiative and do that.

Finance committee  Yes, if possible. Of course, the role of the Parliamentary Budget Officer is to help you, either by answering your questions or doing analyses for you.

Finance committee  We already have a division staffed by economists. However, I do not have access to that money right now: the funding is earmarked for next year. We will continue to offer services through our economists and the division.

Finance committee  My short answer is that, in my opinion, this is the reason that the PBO position was created.

Finance committee  The act received royal assent on, I believe December 10 or December 12. I submitted a job description to the Privy Council Office, which is responsible for classifying this position, 10 days later. At the time I was told I was either the first or second person affected by the Fed

Finance committee  That was all done in December.

Finance committee  That was all done in December. The selection committee put forward its recommendations to the government House leader before Parliament adjourned in December.