Public Accounts committee  We had a 33% increase in manpower this week. We'll have a 25% increase on Monday. We hope to be something like 60% to 75% staffed up by the early fall. We realize we have an opportunity in the months of May and June because we have some availability of you folks--we'd like to take advantage of that--but we don't think the consultation phase will ever end.

Public Accounts committee  Sir, we would be happy to be put in that position to make recommendations. We would be making recommendations based on what are the best practices in other countries, in other public sectors, and in the private sector as well. On the issue of accrual accounting, we've made some progress already in terms of moving the public accounts to an accrual basis and our budgets to an accrual basis.

Public Accounts committee  That's correct, sir.

Public Accounts committee  As you noted, sir, one of the three pillars of our mandate is to provide support in the form of additional scrutiny on issues concerning the estimates. I think making sure that our reports on plans and priorities and our departmental performance reports...that's a better linkage.

Public Accounts committee  I will undertake to do that, sir. It's a very good question. From time to time, governments will change, for example, their fiscal targets. They'll use different definitions of debt. They'll go from gross to net expenditures. It's a very good question, and we will compare apples to apples.

Public Accounts committee  The Auditor General provides significant work in making sure we have clean public accounts. If she has concerns, observations are often raised in that kind of context. We will be working within those public accounts. But, sir, yes, in terms of looking at standards, in terms of practices, and in terms of financial reporting, we definitely consider that to be part of our work.

Public Accounts committee  I'm not aware of any limitations, per se. We think regular reporting should be part of our job. We will have discussions within our team. This goes back to the very first question that was put, sir, in terms of our priorities over the next number of months and consulting the user about the best way to provide that kind of regular reporting.

Public Accounts committee  That's correct. It's a five-year appointment.

Public Accounts committee  Sir, I'm in very good health.

Public Accounts committee  Exactly, I am an officer of Parliament.

Public Accounts committee  I have to provide independent and nonpartisan advice. In that context...

Public Accounts committee  Sir, I report to the Speakers of the House and the Senate and to Mr. Young.

Public Accounts committee  My dad worked until he was 65, and I have uncles who worked well beyond that. Mr. Khan has a father who has worked well beyond—

Public Accounts committee  Sir, it's a valid concern, and it has been raised to me by some of my folks that it would probably be unlikely that in the context of this job the doors would be open for me to go back to the public service. Whether they are or are not, I think there will be lots of other opportunities for me, whether it be in an academic community or a private sector community, so I'm not concerned about that.

Public Accounts committee  You're right, sir, that we definitely operate within a Westminster system, which is very different from the Congressional system. We will not be producing budgets. The Parliamentary Budget Officer will not produce an alternative budget. There are, from time to time, requests from members in the House and the Senate to look at costing-related issues.