Linda Duncan reacts to PBO report on budget and expenditure reporting to parliament

Recommends implementation of longstanding recommendations to improve transparency and accountability

OTTAWA – Linda Duncan, Member of Parliament for Edmonton – Strathcona and New Democrat Critic for Public Works and Government Services reacted to today’s release of the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s Report on Budget and Expenditure Reporting to Parliament.

The report outlined shortcomings in the system that contribute to an enduring lack of transparency and accountability, despite repeated and concrete recommendations for improvement.

“Today’s report comes as no surprise.” said Duncan. “The issues outlined have been brought to light by experts worldwide. These are reflected in the OECD best practices for budget transparency, in the IMF code of fiscal transparency, and even in previous reports of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. The only place where these recommendations are absent is in the actions of the Conservative government. The Conservatives instead continue in their refusal to implement widely accepted and necessary improvements.”

As noted by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Parliamentarians have a fiduciary duty to Canadians to manage the public purse. The implementation of these recommendations would improve the ability of Members of Parliament to execute that duty fully. For example, the use of baselines to be able to accurately scrutinize budgetary changes is a simple, but effective improvement that should be made. Likewise, a more detailed report of planned changes in budget documents is necessary for greater transparency, and ultimately, accountability of the government.

According to Duncan, “The PBO, is on the mark in echoing the OECD key themes for budgetary transparency: complete, timely, and reconciled. New Democrats call on the Conservative government to act to put into place these recommendations and to ensure that these themes are at the heart of our reporting process. It is also time to protect and enhance the role of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, to ensure that there is a strong, independent voice to provide this invaluable analysis to Parliament on budgetary issues.”