A number of countries have had experience with it. We've read with interest a report put out by the OECD, and it indicated there were mixed reviews, you might say, specifically with the use of accrual appropriations.
I recently received a report from the CICA in Canada, and it cited that same OECD report. Basically it gives a bit of “on the one hand, on the other hand”. On the one hand, there are many purported benefits, but on the other hand, the experience has been that in some cases the results have not necessarily matched expectations.
The conclusion seems to be that any government that wants to go down that road should be very thoughtful and consider the particular circumstances and the manner in which implementation is made. I think the OECD, for example, talks about instances where only certain types of expenditure might be subject to accrual appropriations and modified cash might be used in other situations.
For our part, my colleagues in the Treasury Board Secretariat have been looking at a pilot as a precursor to perhaps an eventual move towards accrual appropriations. It will first look at a kind of restating of the cash basis appropriations we now have to produce a pro forma presentation that might facilitate at least one element of the benefits, which is greater comparability down the line when the financial results become available.
We would like to see whether that in fact helps. When accrual basis financial statements can be compared to these pro forma appropriations in the future, maybe that will address some of the elected members' concerns.
It is a matter we're taking measures on, studying, and we are attentive to the experience of other countries, but we have yet to conclude.