Parliament of Canada Act — P-1 79.21
Mandate — general election 79.21 (1) During the period described in subsection (2), the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall, at the request of an authorized representative or a member, estimate the financial cost of any election campaign proposal that the authorized representative’s party or the member is considering making. Period (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the period begins on the 120th day before the date fixed under section 56.1 or 56.2 of the Canada Elections Act and ends on the day before the date of the next general election. However, if Parliament is dissolved before that 120th day, the period begins on the day on which Parliament is dissolved and ends on the day before the date of the next general election. Request (3) A request referred to in subsection (1) shall be made in writing and describe the proposal for which an estimate is requested, including relevant details and objectives. Additional information (4) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may, in writing, request additional information from an authorized representative of the party on behalf of which an estimate was requested or from the member who made a request for an estimate. Ministerial agreement (5) A minister who presides over a department within the meaning of paragraph (a) of the definition department in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act may, at the request of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, personally agree that his or her department will provide assistance to the Parliamentary Budget Officer in preparing estimates under subsection (1) during the period described in subsection (2). Confidentiality (6) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall not disclose to a minister any information related to a request for an estimate under subsection (3). Ministerial involvement (7) A minister who, under subsection (5), agrees that his or her department will provide assistance shall (a) instruct his or her deputy to make any arrangements that his or her deputy considers necessary for the provision of the assistance, including, at the deputy’s discretion, arrangements respecting the terms under which the assistance is to be provided; and (b) abstain from any personal involvement in the provision of the assistance. Confidentiality (8) If the Parliamentary Budget Officer makes a request to a deputy referred to in paragraph 7(a) for assistance in preparing an estimate under subsection (1), the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall not disclose to the deputy or any other person in the department the identity of the party on behalf of which the estimate was requested or the identity of the member who made the request for an estimate. Confidentiality (9) Except for the purposes of subsection (10), information that is obtained or created in the provision of assistance referred to in subsection (8) shall not be disclosed to any person other than the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Assistance of other departments (10) In order to provide assistance referred to in subsection (8), a person in a department may provide information to and obtain information from a person in another department if (a) the other department is also a department within the meaning of paragraph (a) of the definition department in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act ; and (b) the minister who presides over the other department has also agreed to provide assistance under subsection (5). Withdrawal of request (11) An authorized representative of the party on behalf of which the estimate was requested or the member who made the request may withdraw it, in writing, before a report containing the estimate is provided to an authorized representative or the member. If a request is withdrawn, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall discontinue work on the request and shall not disclose the request or the estimate. Report (12) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall provide a report containing the estimate to an authorized representative of the party on behalf of which the estimate was