When the Conservative government established the Parliamentary Budget Office and filled the post with Kevin Page, it was seen as the proof of the Conservatives' commitment to improve transparency and accountability.

But in his tenure as Parliamentary Budget Officer, Mr. Page has found himself repeatedly at loggerheads with the government, contradicting official government figures and finding himself stonewalled in his attempts to get his hands on the government data he says he needs to do his job, while the government accuses him of overstepping his mandate.

Michael talks with Kevin Page to find out just what he thinks his mandate is and whether the government is trying to muzzle its own watchdog.

Michael also speaks with Montreal poet Julie Bruck, winner of the 2012 Governor General's Award for Poetry.

Plus ... in the recent avalanche of words about bullying, there may have been a few missing. Two in particular. Fight. Back. Next week, Frank Faulk's documentary takes a look at the value of an out-of-fashion cure for the meanie.. Sock it to him.  That's Bully for You.