Government Operations committee  Not formally.

Government Operations committee  We did look at where there were potential regional impacts that would not be spread evenly across the country, both in terms of employment and in terms of any funds that went out to specific individuals or organizations. Our assessment of the package was that it was relatively evenly spread out in terms of impacts across the country, with the exception of the direct employment impacts, which were more in the national capital region, as I said.

Government Operations committee  It was not as fine as, for example, the municipal level.

Government Operations committee  A number of items have been identified within Treasury Board Secretariat itself, including funding for regional responsibilities....

Government Operations committee  We have as an objective to better manage expenses which includes, obviously, those of each department.

Government Operations committee  In those cases, programs were approved by Cabinet. Departments received authority to spend these amounts in order to reach stated objectives. It is quite possible, because it happens quite often, that departments reached their objectives at a lesser cost than anticipated and did not require all the allocated funds.

Government Operations committee  One of our sectors is responsible for analyzing a number of departments, including central agencies.

Government Operations committee  This sector is in charge of reviewing the spending of the department itself.

Government Operations committee  If memory serves, between program reviews one and two in 1995 and 1996, the amount totaled 55,000 positions—that's off the top of my head.

Government Operations committee  Between the two.

Government Operations committee  In fact, there are around 20 or so specific measures that are identified and set out in the news release, areas where we had found that funds were not being used. They had either been set aside for something that did not proceed or the program's objectives were being met without those funds being taken up.

Government Operations committee  These were funds that had been provided for in budgets in the past to achieve a particular objective that cabinet had approved. The experience is showing that these funds were not needed or there had been a change of plan and those programs were not going forward, but we were basically still asking Parliament to approve the funds.

Government Operations committee  The number that I believe the president mentioned to the committee at that previous meeting was that there are normally somewhere over 6,000 individuals who would leave the public service in a normal year. Last year it was over 7,000. So we're talking here about a number of 300 or less.

Government Operations committee  Canadian Heritage.

Government Operations committee  I believe we can provide that list relatively quickly.