Archive: December, 2020

After the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released the cost estimate for Bill C 7 (medical assistance in dying), he was asked to identify federal investments in palliative care made since Canada had legalized medical assistance in dying.

To assist parliamentarians in their budgetary deliberations, this report identifies key issues arising from the Government’s Fall Economic Statement (FES) published on 30 November 2020.

In January 2019, PBO released a report assessing the Government of Canada’s 2018 decision to acquire, expand, operate, and eventually divest of the Trans Mountain Pipeline system.

This report provides an updated financial valuation of the purchased assets, estimates the valuation’s sensitivity to several key factors, and projects the economic impact of the Expansion Project’s construction activities.

On July 24, 2020 the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) reported on costs incurred from the Government’s policy of allowing employees to use pay code 699 paid leave for other reasons. Guidance from the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) allowed for employees to request 699 leave for a variety of reasons including being sick with COVID-19, having to quarantine, not being able to access the technology they need to complete their work, and having to care for dependents.

Our original cost estimate included data up to the end of May 2020 for 62 of the 88 federal public service organizations governed by the Financial Administration Act Schedules I, IV and V. The Government subsequently shared monthly data from March to June 2020 for 72 of the 89 federal public service organizations through information request IR0504 (July 2020). Using these data, our office published an updated cost estimate on August 24, 2020.