In terms of the timelines, which we've discussed, main estimates must be tabled by March 1. The practice that has evolved in the Government of Canada--over a number of decades, really--is that typically a budget will be presented that provides a fiscal framework very shortly before that, typically in February. It is quite normal that main estimates would, as I mentioned here, have a reconciliation tabled at a very high level, alerting Parliament to the fact that there may have been recent budget initiatives not captured in the main estimates. So it's to reconcile between the overall spending levels for information purposes of Parliament.
If, say, one looked at the 2005 budget and then the main estimates tabled in Parliament in February of 2005 in respect of fiscal year 2005-06, and there was a substantial amount of spending planned through the budget that was not contained in the main estimates because they were tabled within a week or 10 days, for the bulk of new spending, Parliament received a request to spend through the supplementary estimates tabled last fall. Those supplementary estimates last fall contained about $7 billion of voted spending authority, most of which had been first announced or presented to Parliament in a fiscal framework way in budget 2005, some even in budget 2004.
So it is normal, because of our current timelines, that the appropriations are essentially catching up with plans after the fact. That's one of the key distinctions between the reports on plans and priorities, department by department; they will refer to the fiscal framework plans for the information of Parliament, not to the specific authorities that have actually been put to Parliament for voting. Obviously departments have to keep very close track of what is planned versus what is authorized.