Chamber
quebec
Stage
Introduced
This Quebec bill would create a Parliamentary Budget Officer for the National Assembly of Quebec.
Key Changes
- Creates a new independent Parliamentary Budget Officer position for the Quebec National Assembly
- Establishes a legal framework (an Act) governing the role, powers, and responsibilities of the Parliamentary Budget Officer
- Provides the National Assembly with independent, non-partisan financial and economic analysis
- Allows elected members to request cost estimates for proposed legislation or government programs
- Reinstated in the 43rd Legislature's 2nd Session, continuing its path through the legislative process
Gotchas
- The bill was introduced as a private member's bill, not a government bill, meaning it was not initiated by the ruling party — though the unanimous introduction vote suggests cross-party support.
- The full text of the bill's specific provisions (e.g., appointment process, mandate length, reporting requirements) is not available in the provided content, so the exact powers and independence of the officer cannot be confirmed from this source.
- The bill was originally introduced in the 1st Session and had to be reinstated in the 2nd Session, which is a standard procedural step when a session ends before a bill is completed.
- Quebec does not currently have a provincial Parliamentary Budget Officer, so this would be a new institution requiring staffing, funding, and infrastructure.
Who's Affected
- Members of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNAs)
- Quebec government ministries and agencies subject to financial scrutiny
- Quebec taxpayers who would benefit from greater fiscal transparency
- Opposition parties seeking independent analysis of government budgets
- The general public interested in government accountability
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill was introduced as a private member's bill, not a government bill, meaning it was not initiated by the ruling party — though the unanimous introduction vote suggests cross-party support.
- The full text of the bill's specific provisions (e.g., appointment process, mandate length, reporting requirements) is not available in the provided content, so the exact powers and independence of the officer cannot be confirmed from this source.
- The bill was originally introduced in the 1st Session and had to be reinstated in the 2nd Session, which is a standard procedural step when a session ends before a bill is completed.
- Quebec does not currently have a provincial Parliamentary Budget Officer, so this would be a new institution requiring staffing, funding, and infrastructure.
Summary
Bill 695 is a private member's bill introduced by Monsef Derraji, MNA for Nelligan, in the Quebec National Assembly. It proposes creating a Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) for Quebec — an independent officer who would analyze the government's finances and the cost of proposed policies or legislation on behalf of the legislature. A Parliamentary Budget Officer acts as a financial watchdog, providing non-partisan analysis of government spending, revenue, and economic forecasts. This helps elected members and the public better understand whether the government's financial plans are realistic and how much proposed laws or programs might cost. Quebec would be following the model already used at the federal level in Canada and in some other provinces. The bill was introduced in the 43rd Legislature's 1st Session in March 2024 and was reinstated in the 2nd Session in October 2025. It passed its introduction vote unanimously (105 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions), suggesting broad support across party lines.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses