Fund me or axe me, parliamentary budget officer says

[CHIMO]

Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page says he will recommend the government shut down his operation of monitoring Ottawa's financial performance if he does not get more resources to do the job.

Page told the House of Commons finance committee he still has not been told whether his annual budget will increase to $2.8 million, which he says he needs to do his work. His office had a budget of $1.8 million in the past fiscal year.

He said several of his staff members are on loan from other departments, and if he doesn't receive a critical mass of qualified personnel he will recommend closing the office.

Page's appearance before the committee Tuesday came a day after his office released its latest assessment of the Finance Department's fiscal and economic estimates. His department projected that deficits will accumulate to a total of $167.4 billion over the current 2009-10 fiscal year and the following four years, and it predicted the annual budget shortfall would still be $19 billion in 2013-14, even after an expected economic recovery.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/11/03/parliamentary-budget-officer-kevin-page-funding.html

Simple solution to the opposition. Forget about Harper. Dig into policy and consequences.