Jason Jacques, the interim parliamentary budget officer, expressed concerns about the process for selecting a temporary budget watchdog. He highlighted a significant legislative gap that allows the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to appoint an interim PBO without consulting Parliament.

Jacques recounted the moment he received a call from the PMO on a Saturday night during the Labour Day weekend. He was asked to take on the interim role for six months. "You receive a phone call on a Saturday night over a long weekend and someone purporting to be from the Prime Minister’s Office, it might actually be real," Jacques told a parliamentary committee on September 16. He humorously noted that he advises his children against answering such calls.

During the conversation, Jacques suggested that Yves Giroux, the former PBO who had just completed a seven-year term, would be an excellent candidate for the position. He recalled, "There was silence on the other end of the phone line in the Prime Minister’s Office." Jacques assured the PMO official that if he accepted the interim position, he would maintain the same level of transparency and reporting that Giroux had established.

Jacques's appointment as interim PBO was publicly announced shortly after this exchange. However, he raised questions about the legitimacy of the selection process. He explained to the Commons government operations and estimates committee that while a permanent PBO must be approved by Parliament, the PMO can appoint an interim PBO unilaterally.

He warned that this situation creates a "big legislative gap" that concentrates too much power in the PMO. "It is ludicrous that it is hoisted on you who is selected by the head of the executive branch, and it could have been anybody," Jacques stated. He emphasized that this process contradicts the office's mandate to provide impartial financial and economic analysis to Parliament.

Jacques further noted that the PM could appoint anyone, regardless of nationality, to the position. The PBO was established in 2008 under then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and since then, there have been five individuals in the role, including Jacques.

The Parliament of Canada Act stipulates that a PBO can serve a maximum of seven years and cannot serve more than 14 years in total. During a vacancy, the Governor in Council can appoint an interim PBO for a term not exceeding six months. However, it remains unclear whether the federal government can appoint an interim PBO for consecutive terms, which would circumvent the required parliamentary approval.