Tough Questions at Committee Nothing New for Parliamentary Budget Officer

Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux prepares to appear before the Senate Committee on Official Languages in Ottawa on June 13, 2022. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) Yves Giroux found himself defending his department’s work in front of a parliamentary committee on Oct. 5—and not for the first time.

He was being questioned on a PBO report that said it would take 20 years to pay back $28.2 billion in federal subsidies to Volkswagen and Stellantis for EV battery factories.