Who We Are
Focused on public finance and its intersection with politics and institutions, the mission of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) is to provide our clients and stakeholders with evidence-based support for decision-making, budgeting, planning, due diligence, and institution-building.
Founded in 2016 by Kevin Page, Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer, IFSD is both a non-profit, Canadian think-tank and a global advisory practice. With a unique, deep understanding of public finance and institutions, IFSD employs a disciplined research-based consulting approach that leverages decades of team experience in public financial management, macroeconomics, and public administration. Situated at the University of Ottawa, IFSD works in Canada and worldwide to support better decision-making by governments, and their stakeholders in the broader public and private sectors.
Trusted by government ministers and opposition parliamentarians alike, multilateral organizations, and judicial bodies, leading Indigenous organizations, and corporations, IFSD principals are recognized as internationally connected, non-partisan experts delivering evidence-based analytical support for decision-making, budgeting, planning, due diligence, and institution-building.
IFSD is a research institute that uses money as a tool to analyze and address public policy challenges.
To put a finer point on it: governments, legislatures, public administration and other key political and economic actors and institutions come together to form fiscal ecosystems. These ecosystems are rooted in hundreds of years of political history and economic development and are composed of an intertwined set of incentives, public and private information and a complex set of rules and processes based on constitutional law, legislative law, conventions and power struggles. The actors within this system depend on one another, as well as the robustness and transparency of information and processes, all underpinned by a society’s standards of accountability.
It is at this dynamic intersection of money and politics that IFSD brings its expertise, to research, advise, engage, and teach.
IFSD has established a solid reputation for strategic advice and hands-on leadership by fostering an extensive domestic and international network necessary to gather data and expertise needed to inform its findings and advice. The IFSD consulting model aims to deliver its core capabilities to advise clients across a variety of economic matters such as expenditure analysis, cost estimation, economic analysis, budget decision-making, benchmarking, oversight, and due diligence, value-for-money, and performance.
IFSD’s suite of value-added services include:
- Strategic advice on an evidenced-based approach to new proposals for programs, projects, and policies for consideration by line departments, central agencies, and political leadership.
- Detailed review of the allocation of resources to provide the evidence to inform a strategic review/reallocation exercise, and program reform and demonstrate alignment with government priorities and value-for-money considerations.
- Financial oversight, due diligence, costing, and benchmarking services for projects, programs, and organizations.
- Strategic and hands-on support from senior IFSD resources in the preparation of Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions.
- Training courses covering forecasting, costing, financial oversight/due diligence, the expenditure management system, and managing the complexity of political budgeting and its key actors.
What We Do
Our Team
With several decades of experience, Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) principals have a deep and comprehensive knowledge of how decisions are made, resources are allocated, and performance is evaluated in the Government of Canada. Beyond the team’s insider understanding of everything from budget allocations to
parliamentary appropriations, IFSD’s team has a disciplined approach to research and analysis. With this profound understanding of government institutions, complex financial systems, and economic context, IFSD is uniquely positioned to provide clients and stakeholders with strategic advice and analysis.
Kevin Page
President and Chief Executive Officer
Kevin Page is the founding President and CEO of IFSD and is recognized as a national authority on Canada’s budgetary system and its intersection with cabinet and parliament. Kevin sets IFSD strategy and is the last word on product quality control.
For 27 years, Kevin was a dedicated member of the federal public service at three central agencies responsible for fiscal matters, including the Department of Finance, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Privy Council Office of Canada. His work in the departments of Agriculture and Agri-food, Fisheries and Oceans, and Human Resources and Social Development gave him an important perspective on the challenges faced by line ministries in the expenditure management system. As Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet for Macroeconomic Policy, Kevin advised the Prime Minister on economic and fiscal matters.
Kevin was named Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) in 2008, serving Parliament. As the founding officer Kevin’s work set standards for fiscal transparency and accountability and led to the organization being considered an international benchmark. Following his time on Parliament Hill, Kevin held the Jean Luc Pepin Research Chair at the University of Ottawa (2013-16) where he taught public finance and economics and encouraged youth participation in public policy discourse. Currently, he teaches a public policy seminar course at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University in Montreal.
Kevin has provided expert support to leading international organizations like the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank to support the development of public finance capacity in different parts of the world. He has participated on advisory boards including the Slovak Republic Fiscal Council (CBR) and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB). In Canada, he has volunteered in advisory positions on social issues at both a national level (Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness) and a local level (Serenity House – support for people with addictions to drugs and alcohol).
In 2015, Kevin co-authored Unaccountable: Truth and Lies on Parliament Hill, which is a unique insider’s look at the PBO, federal government and parliament.
Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, he has undergraduate degrees from Lakehead University and Simon Fraser University and holds a Master of Economics from Queen’s University. Kevin has also received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Lakehead University and an honorary doctorate from the University of York (UK). He has had the good fortune of receiving many accolades for his work, domestically and abroad, and from across the political spectrum.
Sahir Khan
Executive Vice-President
As a co-founder and executive vice-president of IFSD, Sahir Khan focuses on IFSD’s strategic direction, business development and engagement management.
Professionally, Sahir was a turnaround and restructuring specialist with New York-based RKG Osnos Partners LLC and with Deloitte Consulting’s New York office. In 2004, Sahir was recruited to the Canadian federal public service to manage problem files and emerging fiscal pressures by serving as the Director of Oversight and Expenditure Management at the Treasury Board Secretariat. At the Privy Council Office (PCO), he provided the prime minister with analysis and advice on budget, economic, tax and expenditure management issues and then joined the PBO as the Assistant Parliamentary Budget Officer. This mix of private and public sector experience has enabled him to get a better understanding of decision support in complex environments while running and reforming organizations.
Sahir is a regular commentator with national and regional media on budgetary matters.
Sahir has a B.Com. (Hons) from Queen’s University and an MBA in finance from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He also serves on the Board of Governors at Ottawa’s Ashbury College.
Helaina Gaspard
Managing Director
Helaina is a co-founder of IFSD and leads the organization’s work in governance, institutional and policy assessment and design and decision support. Helaina’s approach to advisory work applies disciplined research design, methodology, data collection and analysis, integrated with a results-focus, reflecting real-world client needs. She has led engagements supporting some of IFSD’s biggest client successes particularly as it relates to Indigenous reconciliation and independent fiscal institutions.
In 2019, Helaina authored Canada’s Official Languages: Policy Versus Work Practice in the Federal Public Service (University of Ottawa Press).
Helaina has a BA (Hons) from The University of Western Ontario, an MA from Queen’s University, and a PhD from the University of Ottawa.
Mostafa Askari
Chief Economist
As a trusted leader in Canadian economics and public finance, Mostafa Askari brings a wealth of experience in economic and fiscal forecasting, budget analysis, model building and program costing to IFSD.
In 2019, Mostafa joined IFSD following an extensive career that saw him hold key fiscal, analytical and managerial positions in the Department of Finance as the Senior Chief of Economic Analysis, Chief of Economic Forecast, Chief of International Policy Analysis, and Chief of Model Development, and at Health Canada as the Director General of the Applied Research and Analysis Directorate. His final ten years working in government were spent alongside his colleagues Kevin Page and Sahir Khan helping to establish Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) as the Assistant PBO and then the Deputy PBO.
Mostafa earned his PhD from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He has held appointments as a senior advisor to Canada’s Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and as an assistant professor of economics at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.
A frequent media contributor on economic issues, Mostafa is regularly sought out for his analysis on CTV News, CBC News and Global TV and in publications such as the Canadian Tax Journal, Policy Magazine, OECD Journal on Budgeting, and the Journal of Econometrics.
Azfar Ali Khan
Director of Performance
Azfar Ali Khan has been with IFSD since its inception in 2016. He leads the organization’s work on performance, a core function within public finance. Azfar identifies client goals and core value propositions and then endeavors to ensure that financial resources, human capital, business processes, and information management are aligned toward the realization of desired results.
Before joining IFSD, he developed a passion for finance through various roles providing internal and external audit, corporate finance, strategic planning, and operations in both the private and public sectors. He also gained important insights into the Government of Canada’s expenditure management system during his time as an executive with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
Azfar has a B.Com. (Hons) from the University of Toronto and passed the CPA exams (Illinois). In 2003, he was awarded the President’s Award for his significant contributions to the Royal Canadian Mint.
Aimeric Atsin
Senior Economist
As a Senior Economist with diverse experience, Aimeric Atsin works primarily on economic forecasting, fiscal and economic data analysis, and developing quantitative tools to support IFSD’s research.
His quantitative expertise and attention to detail bring superior analyses of data to the organization’s projects. He leads the IFSD’s Nowcast Canada project, a near-term economic forecasting service carried by Bloomberg.
Aimeric has an MA in economics, with a specialization in applied econometrics and advanced macroeconomics from Sherbrooke University. He holds a second MA in applied economics, with a specialization in computable general equilibrium models (MECG) from Laval University.
Aimeric has served as a board member and the vice president of the Ottawa Economics Association (OEA).
Eli Dzik
Senior Manager
Eli Dzik is the Senior Manager of IFSD and has grown his career within the organization.
Working with IFSD leadership, he oversees the analyst team and research assistants as well as managing various projects from conception to conclusion, including primary and secondary research, report writing, and stakeholder management.
Before joining IFSD, Eli was called to the Alberta Bar in 2022, practiced law at a top-tier Calgary law firm and articled at an international law firm. He also previously worked in various roles in the House of Commons, including in the Office of the Speaker of the House.
Eli has a B.Soc.Sc. (Hons) with a specialization in economics and political science from the University of Ottawa and a Juris Doctor of Law from the University of Victoria.
Clara Geddes
Economic Analyst
Clara Geddes conducts quantitative and qualitative analysis to support IFSD research in policy areas such as infrastructure and child welfare.
She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in Economics and International Relations and has an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kimberly Paquet
Executive Coordinator
Kimberly Paquet is the main point of contact for all client inquiries, training workshops and meetings at IFSD.
With a background in administration, customer service and human resources, Kim supports the organization’s principals, team, and clients.
Kimberly holds a BA in Social Science from the University of Ottawa.
Tianna Tischbein
Analyst
Tianna Tischbein is a research analyst at IFSD. Tianna conducts research and analysis to support policy areas related to First Nations child welfare.
She is a recent graduate of the MA program at Queen’s University in Global Development Studies. Tianna also has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology from Western University.
Our Fellows
Ram Mathilakath
For over two decades, Ram has provided advice to Ministers, Parliamentarians, Boards and Sr. leadership of federal government departments and Corporate Canada on public financial management (PFM), project finance, strategy, business transformation, P3 and audits.
Ram transitioned from a large-scale MNC platform to financial advisory roles at EY to executive leadership roles at Canada’s Export Development Canada (EDC) to large Canadian federal government organizations: Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada, Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Office, Public Services & Procurement Canada, ISED, Canada Border Services Agency and Shared Services Canada. Senior positions held relate to strategic direction, deal structuring, transaction authorization, risk management, PFM, efficiency drives and program design and delivery.
Mitch O’Brien
Mitchell O’Brien is an international governance subject matter expert with 20 years applied experience researching, designing, and delivering support programming aimed at building effective, open, and inclusive public institutions with a focus on strengthening their use of public finances.
He has worked on legal, institutional, and process reforms aimed at strengthening policy development and public financial management with government, parliamentary, and civil society counterparts. Mitchell has worked in over 100 countries across North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia/Pacific region. Prior to becoming a Fellow with the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy, he worked as a Senior Governance Specialist with the World Bank Group, which he joined in 2004. He holds a Masters in International Development Policy from Duke University, Bachelor of Law with Honors and a Bachelor of Arts from Griffith University, Australia.
Scott Pattison
Scott D. Pattison is the Research and Tax Policy Director of the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA) He has wide experience in tax and revenue policy, state fiscal matters, budgeting and other government finance and economic issues.
He was recently the Deputy Executive Director of the Multistate Tax Commission. Prior to that, Mr. Pattison served as executive director and CEO of the National Governors Association (NGA), the bipartisan organization of the nation’s governors. The group speaks with a collective voice on a wide range of issues and works to influence the federal government on innovative ideas that can be implemented nationwide. Mr. Pattison worked with governors to identify and prioritize issues facing states, identify challenges and solutions to those challenges and oversee the day-to-day operations of the association.
Mr. Pattison graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and received his law degree from the University of Virginia.
Rohit Samaroo
Rohit Samaroo is the Director of the Economic Portfolio and Analytics in the Expenditure Management Sector of the Treasury Board Secretariat.
He has extensive experience in performance data, data systems and analysis with the goal of having better insights in the performance of programs. Rohit strongly believes that greater use of objective evidence on performance in decision-making within the public sector is a desirable and achievable goal. Rohit has worked in the private, non-profit and public sectors. He holds a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering (minor in management), and Bachelor and Master degrees in Political Science. Rohit enjoys helping public servants and potential public servants overcome challenges in their career aspirations in government.
Ian Wayne
Ian Wayne is an experienced strategic communications, public relations, and research professional with decades of experience on the frontlines of politics, public service, labour and business.
Ian has advised top political leaders and worked in a range of positions, serving as a senior political staffer in the areas of policy, communications, strategic research, legislative support, and issue management. His work experience includes serving as Director of Issue Management and coordinating Question Period for the Official Opposition. While on the Hill, he was named numerous times by The Hill Times to their list of Top 25 Parliament Hill Staffers.
He currently works as a communications and government relations consultant, primarily for Monk + Associates. Ian has experience serving both public and private sector clients on a variety of issues, including healthcare, the economy, infrastructure, labour, resource development, and the environment.
Ian has helped support the Institute for Fiscal Studies in Democracy (IFSD) since its founding, including serving as a strategic advisor, consultant, and an instructor helping to train public servants and others. Prior to his work in politics and government relations, Ian successfully managed small businesses and worked as a communications consultant to the federal government.
