Annette Ryan, a seasoned public servant, has been nominated as the next Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) by the federal cabinet. This announcement comes at a very important time for Canada’s fiscal landscape. The response comes on the heels of a recent OECD report that praised Canada’s own Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), ranking it first in the world as fiscal monitors. Ryan is now the deputy director at Canada’s Financial Intelligence Unit Fintrac. His background as an attorney, businessman, and public servant will certainly make him a great asset to the role he’s walking into.
Ryan received her mathematics Honours degree from Acadia University. To follow she earned a Doctorate in economics at Oxford University, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. During her impressive career, she has served in leadership roles across several departments. These departments include Finance Canada, Industry Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada. Her skills range from working with former Prime Ministers Paul Martin and Stephen Harper. During her time in this position, she played a key role in drafting briefing notes that informed critical fiscal policy decisions.
Ryan as she prepares to testify in front of the parliamentary finance committee this Monday afternoon. Her nomination still needs to be approved by both the House of Commons and the Senate. If confirmed, Ryan will take over a seven-year term as the PBO.
Ryan credits a lot of her success to her predecessor, Jason Jacques. She adds that she has “tremendous respect” for him and all those who’ve served in this vital role before her. Her nomination is a further sign that the Canadian government is serious about improving financial oversight and accountability.
“There is nothing more fundamental to parliamentary democracy than the scrutiny of the public taxation and spending choices on behalf of the people,” – Annette Ryan
Yet Ryan’s nomination arrives amidst a new and unprecedented wave of federal financialization scrutiny. This backdrop makes her expected leadership in this episode all the more critical. Kevin Page, the first PBO, has been one of Ryan’s most vocal proponents. He is the immediate past president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa. He underscored her deep experience. She certainly won’t be starting from a blank slate – instead, she’ll have useful expertise to help inform her work in the new role.
Page remembered their past cooperation in the Privy Council Office during the early 2000s. He had lots of nice things to say about Ryan’s incredible talents.
“I got to know her and she is super smart,” – Kevin Page
Even with those challenges expected in the role, Page painted Ryan as someone poised to meet the challenges. He likened the PBO role to elite athletics. He particularly stressed that men in these roles had to be prepared to be held to account and develop a ‘thick skin’.
“If you play hockey and play at a competitive level, you’re going to get hit,” – Page
“You’re going to have to take hits and get up off the ice.” – Page
Ryan’s nomination highlights a critical time for fiscal accountability in Canada as the federal government contends with competing fiscal challenges. In light of her years of public service and fierce dedication to transparency, many see her appointment as the turning point we’ve all been waiting for.
The OECD’s recent report on Canada’s PBO highlighted the office’s effectiveness in providing independent fiscal analyses. From all accounts, Ryan is preparing to fully assume this mantle. She needs to begin setting the most ambitious standards possible, while deftly steering through the labyrinthine fiscal policy guidelines of our nation’s capital.
