I'll start perhaps with the first part of the question about the champion and the champion moving on.
There are two models that one can adopt for how to embed GBA in an organization. One is to basically make it part of the day-to-day work of everyone in their daily function. Another is to have a specific unit with a head who does that function throughout the organization. At Treasury Board Secretariat the process or the method that we've chosen is to embed it throughout the organization. So every analyst, whether they are creating policy or whether they are challenging submissions coming in from departments, has a role to play on GBA.
The role of the champion is one of leadership, as I mentioned before. They're not the ones performing the analysis. They're not necessarily integral to our capacity to perform the analysis and to perform our challenge function. Every member of the senior management team is aware of GBA. Their staff are briefing them on any GBA implications that they have seen in the submission. They're answering the questions from Treasury Board ministers when the submission is being presented. It's embedded throughout the organization.
While certainly the role of the champion is to help ensure that there continues to be an emphasis put on building that capacity throughout the organization, going without a champion for a week or two or three I don't think puts at risk our capacity to play our role in challenging departments on whether or not they're actually undertaking this analysis as part of the submission process.
In terms of strategic reviews, just to clarify, this is a new process that was done for the first time this fiscal year inputting into budget 2008. So this is actually our first year doing it and we'll continue to see where it goes.
I would just note that in terms of at least budget 2007 and budget 2008, I can't speak to specific decisions, again, that are being taken by ministers. Our job is, in a non-partisan way, to provide the best possible policy advice that we can that takes into account all perspectives and interests and gives our best view of what we feel is the best course of action. But ultimately ministers have to take all of that into account plus political considerations and they make decisions. Then we loyally implement those decisions, and that's in essence the process.
So it's difficult for me to speak to the specific decisions that are being taken by government in a budget or a speech from the throne. Those are obviously the decisions of ministers. We do provide our advice. Our advice has a GBA lens on it, and certainly from a minister's perspective, that may not necessarily be the only lens or the determinative lens. I think that's part of their job as an elected official and then they're held accountable for the decisions they've taken.