During his brief stint as Canada’s acting parliamentary budget officer, Jason Jacques faced allegations of bias, backlash over his communication style, and eventually commendation for representing an institution now ranked as the top performer among its global counterparts. Appointed by Prime Minister Mark Carney in September to hold the position until a permanent parliamentary budget officer (PBO) could be selected, Jacques was determined to make a significant impact during his six-month term.
Immediately upon assuming his role, Jacques approached the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to conduct the first-ever evaluation of Canada’s Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer to assess its standing compared to similar organizations worldwide. This assessment focused on the office itself, which offers impartial financial analysis to Parliament, rather than individual officers.
Expressing his rationale to a parliamentary committee recently, Jacques emphasized the necessity of an external evaluation of the office after nearly two decades. He specifically urged the OECD to provide guidance on maintaining the institution’s status as one of the best among OECD countries.
The subsequent review, released last week, positioned the PBO at the top among the 35 countries evaluated by the OECD. Following Canada were the U.S. Congressional Budget Office in second place and the Bureau for Economic Analysis in the Netherlands in third.
This endorsement did not escape notice during Jacques’s final appearance as interim PBO before a parliamentary committee. Conservative MP and committee chair Kelly McCauley lauded Jacques and his team for being recognized as top performers globally by the OECD.
While the OECD report highlighted Canada’s leading position, it also outlined a “road map” for improvement, identifying five crucial areas for enhancement, including leadership appointments, data acquisition processes, and quality assurance of analyses.
One critical aspect identified for enhancement was the PBO’s communication strategy. The report cited two instances of communication lapses, including an error in carbon price calculations and Jacques’s controversial remarks on Canada’s fiscal health. The OECD recommended clearer communication protocols and enhancing the PBO’s communication team to ensure transparency and accuracy in messaging.
Addressing the need for more robust peer-review processes, some prominent economists in Canada called for wider use of peer review within the PBO. The OECD cautioned against informal practices within the institution and suggested establishing a review panel to ensure thorough scrutiny and transparency in reporting.
Furthermore, the OECD proposed legislative changes to enable direct access to tax data from the Canada Revenue Agency to streamline operations. It also emphasized the need for a structured approach to prioritize the growing number of requests from parliamentarians for policy reviews.
As Jacques concluded his tenure, he echoed the OECD’s call for improving the appointment process for interim PBOs to avoid perceptions of bias and partisanship. He emphasized the importance of upholding the PBO’s independence and fostering a transparent and impartial selection process.
Jacques’s term concludes without a permanent successor announced, leaving the task of implementing these recommendations to the incoming PBO.
