The Parliamentary Budget Office is asking for public support. It should get it

This is bad news (h/t to Shock Minus Control):

Budget watchdog pleads for help: The watchdog created by the Harper government to scrutinize the state of Canada's finances has just issued a public plea for help, asking the Prime Minister and opposition parties to rescue his office as it confronts a funding crunch and pressures to curb its independence.

Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, who is facing the prospect of dismissing staff if Ottawa doesn't deliver on its full funding pledge for the new office, has written Prime Minister Stephen Harper and opposition leaders to straighten out confusion over what he's supposed to be doing for Canadians.

He strongly hints in the March 11 letter that he's not being given enough freedom to do the job as originally designed – or the promised level of funding.

One of the reasons why I started this blog is that there simply isn't enough informed commentary on economic issues in Canada. In its short and underfunded history, the PBO has tried to correct this state of affairs, and the work it has been able to produce is - given the constraints - very promising indeed. It should be given the resources and the freedom to do what it is supposed to be doing.

Comments

[brendon]

It really is a shame - I got to meet Kevin Page a few months back (around the time of the November fiscal update that through Ottawa into upheaval) and found him to be a very level headed and very reasonable person. Hopefully he can get some political support (not sure the support of the rather small Canadian econoblogosphere is enough).

[Nicolas Petrosky-Nadeau]

Both the post and the comment make the point that we do not have a proper discussion of economic matters in Canada. The press does a terrible job and the blogosphere is too small (and marginal, re: poor Canadian press). That is the state of affairs. So what do we do to improve them? how do we improve the public discussion?

I ask the question without having the answers I am sorry to say.

[brendon]

my comment should read "threw Ottawa into upheaval" - yesterday was a long day I guess.