The budget's a very high-level policy document. It's not about what's in the estimates document itself. It's about what has to happen behind the scenes for an expenditure item to be included in an Appropriation Act, and it means a well-designed plan. Where you have ongoing programs that were there for a number of years, the numbers in the budget are absolutely lined up with the numbers in the estimates. That makes perfect sense—one's cash, one's accrual. But don't discount the behind-the-scenes work required to get expenditure approvals for a new program. That's the key thing.
I will tell you that when Treasury Board is doing its work and a proposal for spending comes in, the first question is whether it was covered by a budget. If the answer is, no, it's a full stop. That's kind of the first check. The budget is step one, but to properly design a new program and get expenditure authority there's a lot of work required after the budget. In my mind it's not a disconnect; it's a timing difference. The budget is step one. The estimates are further down the track and the last approval you need before you go to the Appropriation Act and start spending money.