Budget officer Page pushes mandate

Finance experts says Kevin Page is pushing the need for sound and analytical economic forecasting. There's no stopping him.

Canada's high-profile Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, who last week joined other former Finance Department officials to tell Finance Minister Jim Flaherty that higher taxes will be needed to eliminate the deficit, has become an institution on the Hill by increasing the country's understanding and debate on economic and fiscal issues during the global economic downturn.

The PBO's calculations of a structural budget have forced...