NDP gets results: Legislature appoints Financial Accountability Officer

Queen’s Park: NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is proud that members of the legislature unanimously appointed Stephen LeClair as Ontario’s first Financial Accountability Officer (FAO).

“We’ve waited a long time for this moment, but I’m proud that we’ve finally appointed Ontario’s first Financial Accountability Officer,” said Horwath. “After years of government scandal, people are tired of government waste, and want to see real accountability and transparency. A Financial Accountability Office will make government accountable and stop scandals before they start,” said Horwath.

As part of the budget negotiations in 2013, the minority government agreed to establish a New Democrat initiative that called for a Financial Accountability Office. The FAO would be an independent office of the Legislature, modeled after the federal Parliamentary Budget Office. It would provide independent analysis to MPPs and committees on the state of the province’s finances, forward-looking cost assessments and have the ability to do an independent cost analysis of any government department, agency or spending program. The Office would examine the government’s annual Budget and fiscal updates for accuracy and report back to Ontarians.

Horwath said after billions of dollars of public money have been wasted on eHealth, Ornge, cancelled gas plants and PanAm Games scandals, the FAO will bring forward-looking oversight and prevent future spending scandals.

“A Financial Accountability Office will provide greater scrutiny and accountability for spending in Ontario. It’s a way to ensure that Ontarians get the facts about government spending and not the spin,” said Horwath.