Government Operations committee  Might I address the vote wording? That particular construction of the vote wording allows one to provide the authorities required in the event that you have, for example, a new budget initiative. It's in the budget that's been approved by Parliament and it's in chapter 3, but it is new, and you may not have had previous authorities.

Government Operations committee  But you've approved the budget as well, which I think contains those initiatives. This vote just provides that bridge of funding for the initiatives that have already been approved in the budget. The budget has passed in Parliament.

Government Operations committee  Well, there will be some information when we table the supplementary estimates. It will be whatever information is available. There will also be information--more detailed information, I think--on the allocations from vote 35 in the June report.

Government Operations committee  Well, that's still to be determined, I believe, but it will probably be early June.

Government Operations committee  Those quarterly reports, which will be provided in June and then in September, I believe, and December, will be able to follow results as they develop in the use of the money.

Government Operations committee  That's right.

Government Operations committee  No, it doesn't, with the exception of the cash management difficulties that it may give rise to in departments. A program will have supplementary estimates B, and it will have the next budget, presumably, wherein further funding can be provided, although that's my colleague's terrain, not mine.

Government Operations committee  --because the further away you get from the economic problem, the less useful it is. Perhaps my colleague can add to that.

Government Operations committee  That is correct.

Government Operations committee  Perhaps I could provide some clarity on that question. If it is not spent, the money lapses. That's for sure. If a program has not been funded through vote 35 or supplementary estimates A, then the next avenue will be supplementary estimates B in December. Departments that have not gone through the process of obtaining that early funding would have to cash-manage, if they're running with a budget initiative, until they got funding in supplementary estimates B in December.

Government Operations committee  That is correct. That's my understanding of the proper procedure to follow.

Government Operations committee  I think that should be Treasury Board. I'd be happy to let my deputy decide who he wants to come up here to address that matter, but that part of the package would be Treasury Board.

Government Operations committee  I'd be very happy to accommodate the committee in that regard. It might be useful if my colleague from the Department of Finance talked a little bit about reporting.

Government Operations committee  Actually, we're only permitted to ask you for eleven-twelfths of a vote in interim supply, so therefore there was a limit set by that, and it's what gives rise to that $2.75 billion. The remainder would be allocated over the remaining period until the end of June.

Government Operations committee  Well, the funding is allocated to the programs, so it has to be allocated by the end of June or the money lapses. The funding can be spent up until the next supply period, the supplementary estimates B in December.