This speaks to the whole source. We have a right to know what the government is planning to do, and certainly the public has a right to know as well, in advance of that spending, at least some realistic projections based on fact.
For far too long we've relied on the Auditor General--the other person Canadians trust after you, Mr. Page--to tell us if the money was wisely spent or not. But that's 18 months after the fact. We desperately need to be able to make informed decisions at the front end, with reliable numbers, that if we adopt this policy it's going to cost you this much. Do we still want to do that, or do we want to hive off some of that money you think we're going to have to spend to build prisons, and put it at the front end to try to have a prime reduction strategy at the other end?
Canadians may want that information. They want to make that choice. Thankfully we're getting bits and pieces of it, at least, through the Parliamentary Budget Office.
Thank you.