OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 03/20/13 -- The Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, today introduced the Supply Bill for the Supplementary Estimates ©, 2012-13 and the Interim Supply Bill for the 2013-14 Main Estimates. These bills seek parliamentary authority for the funding that government organizations need to deliver programs and services for Canadians.

"These supply bills put a cap on our 2012-13 budgetary estimates and start us off on the right foot for the upcoming fiscal year," said Minister Clement. "This year (2012-13) our Government allocated $259 billion in voted expenditures, showing a decline over the past three years as a result of our sound management of the public purse, a trend we expect to continue as we look toward Economic Action Plan 2013."

Once these bills are approved by Parliament and receive Royal Assent, they become law in the form of appropriation acts. Appropriation acts are the vehicle through which payments from the Consolidated Revenue Fund are authorized in order to pay for government programs and services.

A full Supply Bill for the 2013-14 Main Estimates will be tabled in the spring.

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