THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL FINANCE

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

OTTAWA, Tuesday, November 25, 2025
(20)

[English]

The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance met this day at 9 a.m., in room W110, 1 Wellington St., the chair, the Honourable Claude Carignan, C.P., presiding.

Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Cardozo, Carignan, P.C., Dalphond, Forest, Gignac, Hébert, Kingston, MacAdam, Marshall and Ross (10).

Other senators present: The Honourable Senator Pupatello (1).

Participating in the meeting: Sylvain Fleury and Michaël Lambert-Racine, Analysts, Library of Parliament.

Pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Thursday, November 20, 2025, the committee began its examination of the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026.

WITNESSES:

Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer:

Jason Jacques, Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer;

Mark Mahabir, Director General, Costing and Budgetary Analysis, and General Counsel;

Govindadeva Bernier, Director, Budgetary Analysis;

Caroline Nicol, Advisor-Analyst.

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat:

Antoine Brunelle-Côté, Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector;

Karine Paré, Executive Director, Expenditure Management Sector;

Blair Kennedy, Executive Director, Government Accounting, Policy and Reporting;

Annie Boyer, Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer;

Vidya ShankarNarayan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Jason Jacques made a statement and, together with Caroline Nicol, Govindadeva Bernier and Mark Mahabir, answered questions.

At 10 a.m., the committee suspended.

At 10:06 a.m., the committee resumed.

Antoine Brunelle-Côté made a statement and, together with Karine Paré, Vidya ShankarNarayan, Annie Boyer and Blair Kennedy, answered questions.

At 11:05 a.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.

ATTEST:

Sara Gajic

Clerk of the Committee