Sabia brings decades of experience both in the private sector and in senior government positions, people said, and is likely to serve as a measured and thoughtful buffer against the most unwieldy aspects of Ottawa’s massive spending plans.
Scott Clark, who served as deputy minister of finance from 1998 to 2001, said Sabia is known for a tireless work ethic that he could use to reinvigorate the Department of Finance. The office has seen diminishing influence in Ottawa in the years since Sabia left the public service, Clark said, and could look to reassert itself as more attention is trained on public spending decisions.
Clark said Sabia was likely motivated by the immense undertaking that managing Canada’s national finances poses at the moment, as Ottawa attempts to guide its way out of a spending binge totalling hundreds of billions.