Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you once again for the invitation to attend. With me is my colleague Brian Pagan, who is Executive Director, Expenditure Operations and Estimates.
Today, the President of the Treasury Board tabled Supplementary Estimates (A) for 2009-10. This is only the second year in the last decade that the government has filed supplementary estimates in the spring. We have circulated a brief deck providing the highlights.
These supplementary estimates include $5 billion in voted budgetary initiatives, including $1.6 billion of budget 2009 initiatives. They also report on an additional $1.8 billion of allocations from the budget implementation vote, TB vote 35, for budget 2009 initiatives. A total of $3.4 billion in voted spending on budget initiatives is, therefore, reported in this package. The supplementary estimates also provide information on a $50 billion non-budgetary initiative for CMHC's insured mortgage purchase plan, designed to stimulate housing construction.
Individual budget 2009 initiatives are tagged for easy identification in the supplementary estimates (A) document, tabled today, and in the explanation of requirements section for each department or agency.
As mentioned previously, TB vote 35 is an extraordinary time-limited mechanism created, through Parliament's approval, to facilitate budget implementation. Based on Parliament's approval of interim supply, funds can be allocated by TB ministers from this central vote during the April 1 to June 30 timeframe, to meet cash requirements for budget 2009 initiatives in advance of supply for supplementary estimates (A) or (B).
The list of budget 2009 initiatives funded from TB vote 35 up to April 30 can be found on pages 77 to 82 of the supplementary estimates (A) document. Further allocations from this vote are expected as departments finalize terms and conditions of budget programs.
Allocations for the period from May 1 to June 30 will be reported in supplementary estimates (B) documents. These allocations will also be reported in the quarterly reports for June, September, and December.
In summary, with the approval of supplementary estimates (A), the total funding for 2009-10 budget initiatives, taking into account tax reduction measures and new loan authorities, will be in excess of $20 billion. In addition to the supps (A) and TB vote 35 measures reported here, this includes $10 billion of support in the Budget Implementation Act, as well as ways and means measures such as the home renovation tax credit and loan authorities for the auto industry and housing-related infrastructure.
Thank you. We would be happy to take questions.