Government Operations committee  I'm not sure I would say it's a common practice. It does happen during an election year.

Government Operations committee  If there's a need for additional funds, they would come forward through supplementary estimates. Because of the way our process works, typically the main estimates would come forward in February or March, and if there were a need for additional funds to be approved by the assembl

Government Operations committee  I would say no, because the main estimates are tabled at exactly the same time as the budget speech is delivered, so there's not a timing issue.

Government Operations committee  I'm not aware of that being an issue here.

Government Operations committee  To go back to the timing and the scheduling of these estimates' consideration, there is a formal schedule that is tabled when the budget address is presented. So there's a fixed schedule where ministers are slotted in for each policy field committee, and then there's a schedule—I

Government Operations committee  Supplementary estimates in our cycle are typically presented in a fall sitting, or at the very end of a fiscal year.

Government Operations committee  We use the terminology “performance measures”, and information on the performance measures is found in the departments' business plans.

Government Operations committee  Our appropriation bill typically mirrors the votes that have been approved and voted upon in the committee of supply. It's a very short bill.

Government Operations committee  Yes.

Government Operations committee  I can't really speak on behalf of the Government of Alberta in connection with their advance consultation in the budget process.

Government Operations committee  I can't really speak on behalf of the government in connection with consultation that takes place prior to the budget being tabled.

Government Operations committee  You are correct, we do not vote program by program.

Government Operations committee  Can you pose that question again, please?

Government Operations committee  It changed in 1993. Amendments to legislation mandated three types of supply votes for each department. I can't speak to the rationale at the time but it was brought in when Premier Klein took office, and the legislation that was brought forward was called the Deficit Elimination

Government Operations committee  Again, the three types of votes that are presented for each department have been in place for almost 20 years. I can't speak to anything further with respect to program by program voting, because I've only been here since 1996.