Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.
I'll start us off, and I'm sure Kevin might want to add a few details.
To start with the beginning of the question, the A-base level of the program is set at about $75 million, but I think once in the past five or six years have we ever spent to that level. If you go back in time through the economic action plan, through bump-ups in budgets for storm damage and that sort of thing—and indeed you referenced the announcement that the Prime Minister made last week—it's always been executed at a level quite a bit above that.
I don't remember when the budget was $200 million, but I suspect it had to have taken place before program review when DFO was the custodian of well over 2,000 harbours. I think we're down to 1,050 today, of which 750, as you know, are core fishing harbours. The budget that we have now is what we dedicate to the 1,050 harbours that we have.
There was indeed an announcement last week, which was again announced in British Columbia on Friday, I'm told, that would send to the department $288 million for small craft harbours. That's not over five years, Mr. MacAulay; it's over two years. Effectively for next year we will have our regular $75-million budget, plus the $20 million that the government added last year, plus $144 million—roughly half of the $288 million. So for the next two years the small craft harbour program will be very busy.
As you will be aware, we have a long safety-based priority list for work on the 1,050 harbours that remain with us. I wish I could say this money will exhaust that list. I don't know if it will or not. But I can guarantee that at this quantum we are very hopeful of reducing whatever backlog exists by a very considerable margin.
We're very happy to have this money. We believe we have a talented enough team of project managers to spend this money wisely. As I say, we've long had a list of priorities to which these new fundings would be directed.
Kevin, I'm not sure if you want to add to that.