Government Operations committee  If I may, I'll elaborate, because it's very confusing. There are always different numbers being presented on advertising and picked up in the media from supplementary estimates and the annual report. Basically, as Mr. Matthews said, there are two fundamental ways to fund advertising.

Government Operations committee  Yes, if I could. Our point here was that the recommendation was directed to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, and there is no date, so that can be dictated. What we would like to do, should there be that decision, is come and explain some of the implications.

Government Operations committee  Yes. Probably it could not be done by next March 1, but we could build in a process thereafter.

Government Operations committee  Essentially, it's the same people in respective organizations. We're talking about the 135 CFOs and deputy chief financial officers in each appropriated department. They're responsible both for the departmental input to the main estimates and also largely for the development of their departmental reports on plans and priorities, as appropriate.

Government Operations committee  That is it. It's so you can see the story and start to build it over a period of time rather than have only a one-off, that one-year appropriation without the broader context. Ultimately, of course, it would be more at the strategic outcome program activity level so that it can fully align with what's being put to Parliament for approval.

Government Operations committee  We will address that in our response on recommendation 2, which is due to you by the end of this fiscal year. We'll include the timeline for the other items.

Government Operations committee  To your earlier question first, and then back to where Bill left off, you asked what would be different in the new system. I will talk about what would be different for you. When we come forward with the estimates, instead of having it by portfolio of ministry with this amount for operating and that amount for capital and this amount for grants and contributions, we would, in Fisheries and Oceans, for example, be asking you to approve dollar amounts for safe and secure waters, for economically prosperous maritime sectors and fisheries, etc., using the strategic outcomes and program activity model.

Government Operations committee  First, it will take some time. Right now the people who prepare the estimates are also the people who prepare the reports on plans and priorities. If the estimates are actually prepared at the strategic outcomes level, they are basically rolled up from the same material that is in the RPPs.

Government Operations committee  To the extent there's consensus on specific recommendations, please put it forward. Something we are looking toward right now is alphabetical, largely because of concerns we've heard here and from Canadians. We're also looking at.... I wouldn't call it analysis, in that it's not information, but it highlights the major changes in initiatives, vote changes, and the horizontals.

Government Operations committee  Just with regard to the change management—because we really are getting into some major changes and opportunities with open data, electronic things that are accessible, searchable, and where you can extract information—technology will not be the solution. First and foremost, people are going to have to understand what information is available, but also we need to understand clearly what you need to fulfill your role.

Government Operations committee  We'd very much appreciate hearing whether you think any of those would be useful. Some of these could be done as early as your next main estimates. We're set for our supply cycle for this year, but when it comes to connecting the dots, perhaps going alphabetically.... Actually, we're very likely to recommend going alphabetically, anyway, just because parliamentarians may get it, but other Canadians don't.

Government Operations committee  We hear a great deal from all 135 about things we could improve. Most tangibly it is reducing the system of internal controls, and we do. We insist on deputy head sign-off before something goes into your blue book. So we have assured ourselves that the items there have budget source of funds, they have received the appropriate executive approval, and then we still have the department deputy head sign off on the substance.

Government Operations committee  If I may, you know the big binders we come equipped with for main estimates, about three years ago committees asked us if we could share that information. There was a significant change made to main estimates where we did departmental highlight sections, so you now have the information that had been in those main estimates.

Government Operations committee  Yes. As a consideration, if the question is provided in advance the work is done and people come prepared to respond to it. It doesn't preclude others. That being said, we often get 10 or 20 questions from parliamentary researchers and not a single one of those questions is asked when we arrive here, although we are prepared on all of them.

Government Operations committee  From my perspective, it's a lot of the ancillary materials in the main estimates and the supplementary estimates. At a minimum, what you really need is the proposed bill. Pretty much everything else is optional, and it is there to help you in your study of the proposed bill. So going through systematically, do you need the introduction, do you like the horizontals, do you like the top 10—which you'll see—do you appreciate the major items, do you need all these summary tables, do you need the different historical pieces?