Sir, I think it's important that parliamentarians have some of the basic information they need in terms of approving these estimates, in which I would include, particularly in the context of the budget plan, a three-year freeze. We have five-year reference levels for departments. We know what's been set aside for operations. We understand what's been set aside by the government in terms of its fiscal framework for that operating freeze. We know what departments contribute to that number.
I think we should understand as well, department by department that are affected by the freeze, what their plan is to get the savings and what the potential impacts are on service levels. We've tried to get that information going through central agencies.
Maybe the other choice is to try to go department by department and speak to the deputy ministers who are accountability officers and provide the same questions: What are your five-year reference levels? How much do you set aside for operating over the next five years? How does that contribute to what's in the fiscal framework? What is your plan to achieve those savings? But do it from the bottom up, which is effectively what we're trying to do now at the Parliamentary Budget Office.