I know this seems difficult to understand. When new policy measures are introduced by cabinet and appear in the budget, they have to be implemented. There is an operating component to them. A key exception to the operating budget freeze is for the operating required for those new policy measures. There are some other exceptions, as I mentioned: quasi-statutory changes, reprofiles, and the operating budget carry-forward.
So a fair amount of flexibility is actually built into the operating budget freeze. If a department does not have new policy measures--does not have an expansion of activity, like Corrections has--it is still bound by its previous level of operating spending. If a new measure is approved by cabinet in the budget, it's a budget measure and has operating consequences, so those changes will be made to the operating....