Frequently Asked Questions

A: Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer (FAO) provides the Legislative Assembly of Ontario with independent analysis on the state of the Province's finances and trends in the provincial economy, and on bills and other proposals to support the Assembly’s performance of its constitutional responsibility.

A: The FAO is an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly. As such, the FAO is not part of the executive branch of government.

A: There are similarities between the role and function of the Auditor General and the FAO. Both are independent officers of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and provide financial analysis to Members. Broadly, the FAO tends to focus more on forward-looking analysis, while the Auditor General is primarily interested in the analysis of past events and transactions. The structure of the offices of the FAO and Auditor General also differs, reflecting the differing responsibilities and mandates of each officer.

A: Under the Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013, any member of the Legislative Assembly or Committee of the Legislative Assembly may request analysis from the FAO.

A: Under the Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013, any member of the Legislative Assembly or Committee of the Legislative Assembly may request analysis from the FAO. The FAO welcomes submissions of information from members of the public, but is not necessarily able to respond to such requests.

A: No. The Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013, provides discretion to refuse requests from Members or Committees of the Legislative Assembly.

A: Requests from Members or Committees should be addressed to the FAO. Committee requests are addressed through the Clerk of the committee to the Director of Operations, Victoria Coste vcoste@fao-on.org

A: No. The FAO will not disclose the identity of a Member or Committee that has requested analysis. However, nothing prohibits Members or Committees from revealing this information.