PBO welcomes court ruling and plans to go after government budget information

OTTAWA – The interim parliamentary budget officer says she will ask government departments for budget analysis information in light of a Federal Court ruling this week.

Sonia L’Heureux says she’s pleased the court responded so quickly to questions which her predecessor, Kevin Page, raised about the budget officer’s mandate.

The court cited a technicality for not firmly declaring whether the budget office has a legal right to demand the government turn over information on its cost-cutting program.

The ruling said Page never actually asked for the information which he says departments denied him.

L’Heureux says she will ask for the information in order to respond to a request for analysis made by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.

She says she expects the government will turn over the information and if it doesn’t, the Federal Court has said it can intervene.