approval, and it should not spend money except for purposes authorized by Parliament. These precepts, the achievement of centuries of struggle between the Crown and the Commons in England, were already well established at the time of our Confederation in 1867. When the original provinces got together to establish a form of government "similar in Principle to that of the United Kingdom," they incorporated these precepts in the Constitution Act, 1867 . The principle that Parliament is the custodian of the public purse has thus been part of Canada's constitutional landscape since the country's inception. Over time, a number of specific practices were developed to put this principle into effect. Since 1951, those practices have been brought together under a single act of Parliament, the Financial Administration Act (FAA). The Act makes the Treasury Board responsible for overall control of public spending and each minister responsible for the legality and probity of spending in his or her department. It also sets precise conditions that govern payments out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund - the account into which, by law, all government revenues are credited. Specifically, the payments must: be authorized by a warrant signed by the Governor General ( FAA, section 28); conform to a plan approved by the Treasury Board (section 31); not exceed funds appropriated for the purpose by Parliament (section 32); and be requisitioned by a minister or authorized officer in a form prescribed by the Treasury Board (section 33). Where payments are for services or goods