I had one other thought. You're supposed to forecast on your anticipated revenues and expenses, but there is also the matter of how you actually budget. One of the points I've made to the minister and to the department on a number of occasions is that we have to build margins into our budgeting process. At one point we had a $3 billion contingency fund. I continue to see around $5 billion, which is still a very small share of the national budget. The federal budget is now to about $225 billion; how much of a slush factor do you want to build in to ensure you've got some marge de manoeuvre? It's what good companies do. It's what good organizations do. For me, it's part of good budget planning going forward.
On March 26th, 2009. See this statement in context.