Budget Watchdog Wanted: Ottawa Launches Hiring Process for Permanent PBO

The Canadian government has started the hiring process for a new Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), months after naming an interim official to the post.

The description of the PBO position posted online states that the candidate will provide “non-partisan, authoritative analysis on the state of the nation’s finances, the government’s budget and estimates, and economic trends.”

The position comes with an annual salary ranging from $225,000 to $265,000. The review of applications will begin on Dec. 8, 2025.

The ad notes that in the selection process, “preference may be given” to applicants who are female, indigenous, disabled, or “members of a visible minority group.” The government will also consider “bilingual proficiency and diversity” when assessing the applicants.

In September, the Liberal government appointed Jason Jacques, a veteran of the office, as interim PBO for a period of six months. A PBO is able to serve for a term of up to seven years with a chance at the position being renewed, but Parliament must approve a permanent appointment.

Following his appointment, Jacques expressed concern over the federal government’s rising deficits, while his office’s economic outlook published on Sept. 25 projected the government’s budget would include a deficit of $68.5 billion.

“It’s not a funny fiscal outlook. It’s a really serious fiscal outlook. And we don’t lightly use the word ‘unsustainable,’” Jacques told the government operations committee on Sept. 25. “I think everybody should be concerned.”

Jacques also told the committee that the PBO’s report marked the first time in 30 years that the “general and probably most important fiscal anchor,” the debt-to-GDP ratio, is increasing instead of decreasing, or remaining stable. The PBO projected the budgetary deficit would increase from 1.7 percent of Canada’s GDP to 2.2 percent.

Budget 2025, released on Nov. 4, projects that the government will post a deficit of $78.3 billion for 2025-26, which is 2.5 percent of GDP. The budget document says the deficit is expected to decline to $56.6 billion and the deficit-to-GDP ratio is expected to fall to 1.5 percent by 2029-30.

Jacques has not yet weighed in on the federal budget tabled on Nov. 4, and his office had said he would release an analysis in the coming weeks.

The Conservative Party has called for the Liberals to appoint Jacques to a full seven-year term as PBO, arguing that his six-month term is a “short leash” that could allow the government to “fire him for telling the truth.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney said during debate in the House of Commons on Sept. 17 that when it came to potentially making Jacques’ term permanent, he would be speaking with opposition party leaders to obtain “a consensus on that appointment.”

There has only been one other interim PBO since the office was established in 2006. Sonia L’Heureux served a six-month term in 2013 after Kevin Page resigned in March of that year, and was then replaced by Jean-Denis Fréchette in September.