Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think I would still argue that being eight months into the fiscal year it is unlikely that the department would have spent its appropriation for salaries without the collective agreement increase factored in. I think that if the money has not already been committed then when it comes forward to the Assembly, for instance there can be some discussion about whether or not the Members feel that the money should come from the supp reserves or if there needs to be a reallocation of monies from within a department in order to cover those expenses.
That sort of discussion should still be possible for Members of the Legislative Assembly. When something has been finally approved and set out as a special warrant we lose the opportunity to make that argument because the commitment has already been made.
In any case, Mr. Chairman, I think we know it was certainly a position that was advanced by the Auditor General previously and the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight supported that position, so I would like to encourage the government to very carefully examine whether or not they can follow through on that recommendation the next time they are taking a look at a special warrant. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.