I just want to follow up.
Mr. Drouin, welcome back. We missed you on Canada Post. No one is laughing at that.
My colleague mentioned that it is not just us who have to review estimates, there are quite a few other committees. It's not just us who have to corral all the ministers over a 15-day period.
Ms. Ratansi, I'm sure it was not your intent, but it's almost as if you were implying that we were not in favour of aligning. Maybe I misunderstood you. We, and I think Mr. Weir as well, are fully in agreement that it is in the interests of all Canadians, and all governments now and future, that we do align the budget with the estimates. However, we still strongly believe that we must have enough time for the oversight and time to look at it. No one is arguing against aligning the budget.
There's a very simple issue immediately, which is, again, to move up the budget process to February. The Aussies, who we use as a role model on this issue, despite turning over the government many times over even a two-year period, have managed to do it 21 of the last 22 years, and I think something like 90 years before that they were able to do it at the same month year after year.
I realize it's extra work, but I have great faith in our Finance department and the other departments within our government that we can get it done at a previous time. We fully support aligning the budget with the estimates, short interim estimates and then the mains afterwards. Oversight, transparency, and the ability of this and future opposition parties to hold the government to account are not served, nor is the public served, by minimizing the amount of time that we have.