Public Accounts committee  —so you're trying to get the right sort of mix. You want to have someone who understands finance and statements, someone who maybe just knows the business but may not be a financial expert, maybe someone who knows nothing about the business.

Public Accounts committee  It came in place in April 2006, I think.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Shipley, for those observations. On your first observation on the budget, and I don't have all the exact details with me, you're absolutely right. Most of the programs will be delivered through the government's machinery. So it's not going to be like a transfer out to somebody.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you very much for your question. Since I want to use the correct technical terms, I will answer in English.

Public Accounts committee  Merci. The Auditor General tabled a report on user fees about nine months ago now. I'm familiar with that because I was before this committee testifying on user fees. My colleagues can jump in here if I don't have this right, but what the Auditor General found was that some departments, like Parks Canada, for example, actually do a very good job with their user fees.

Public Accounts committee  All of the departments have agreed to a very specific date for when they will be ready for audited financial statements. That's a date that we put up on our website. One of the reasons it's taking some time is that the departments have to go through a process of documentation of all of their controls.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for that question. I'm asking my colleagues here, and I want to confirm this, but I believe that may represent lapsed money. In other words, a budget has been set, and if you look at all the different departments, no department spends 100% of its money. There's always a little bit there, usually for fear that you're going to go over, because you can't--it's illegal to go over.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Kramp, for that opportunity. I'm starting to worry that we're building a system that's so complex that people just don't understand it. I'm feeling that as accountants, and I'm one of them, we're building a system where it's right on paper, all the theory is right and it's good for all those reasons, but it's very difficult for people to understand it.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you very much, Ms. Crombie, for the question. When revenues are being forecast, there are really two variables or lags that are taken into consideration. One of them, of course, would be the economy and predicting what's happening with the economy. The second part is that once the year is up, for organizations or individuals, particularly corporations, there is often a lag before they get their actual tax returns in.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the comment. You made the comment to us last year as well. We noted that. In fact we have done some work on it, because we know it is a concern to you and this committee. We've been speaking with the provincial comptrollers about what they're doing to make sure things are being done consistently from province to province, and also about visibility, so that when something is transferred from the federal government to a province, the visibility will be clear.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Christopherson, I don't actually have the figures at that time. We could probably try to get that for you.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Mr. Christopherson. I think they need some investment to.... They have different systems, and I'm probably not using very good technical language, but they're not talking with each other. So they need to make these systems talk with each other, and to do that costs a little bit of money.

Public Accounts committee  I would say maybe two years. It will probably take two years.

Public Accounts committee  The issue of systems not talking actually exists in a lot of organizations and departments.

Public Accounts committee  No, it's because some talk a bit better than others. It's an issue that needs a bit of fix in a lot of different places, if I could put it that way. Mr. Chair, I did say two years, and I would appreciate the opportunity to go to the Border Services Agency before I commit on their behalf and get them to confirm their plan.