We can look at the estimates themselves to get a picture of government spending, but government appropriations are not tabled in one document. Usually, the government tables its main estimates very early in the year, in fact before the fiscal year starts, but it is supplemented by supplementary estimates as priorities become known and the budget gets tabled. For that reason, looking just at the main estimates paints an incomplete picture of overall government spending.
A more accurate picture is provided in the government's budget, which includes most of the elements that the government plans on spending. That's why we indicate that government spending as outlined in the main estimates is incomplete, because the main estimates were tabled before the budget was tabled. We know full well there was at least $9 billion of new spending announced in the budget, but it was not in the main estimates. There will be at least that much new spending, which is not in the mains. It will have to be included in supplementary estimates (A), (B), or even (C).