Information & Ethics committee  Let me restate that. If we don't get this money, the supplementary A, the backlog strategy is at peril. Not only is the backlog strategy at peril, but the program is at peril, because the five extra resources we got in 2005-2006 lapsed on March 31. I spent some of that money, and

Information & Ethics committee  A contractor in ATI costs us about $100,000 a year. I can hire a PM-2 and grade them up to PM-5 over a period of years, keep the expertise in-house, and develop the specialty in-house. It's hard to say the difference between one and the other, because the contract is very finite.

Information & Ethics committee  Mr. Dechert had asked me, on behalf of the committee I assume, to look into other models, including the B.C. one where cost recovery for commercial requesters was in place. We looked into that, and we certainly can provide that to you in writing, unless you want me to comment now

Information & Ethics committee  I'm in your hands as to where you would like me to direct it.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, I can very quickly. The question was whether I knew of a system whereby an ATI request was processed at full cost recovery when the requester was a commercial organization. I said at the time that I didn't know of one, but Mr. Dechert was quite correct in saying B.C. has th

Information & Ethics committee  That's what I have laid before you and Parliament through the supplementary process.

Information & Ethics committee  My first pass would be to resubmit, and maybe you'll see me here for the supplementary (B)s in the fall, if they approve.

Information & Ethics committee  Mr. Chairman, for years several agents of Parliament have expressed that concern.

Information & Ethics committee  For years several parliamentary agents have expressed discomfort with the fact that they are accountable to Parliament and yet are subject to the executive in funding their mandate. The whole concept of the panel, which was brought in in 2004, was to try to alleviate that. In fa

Information & Ethics committee  I think my comments in the past I stand by. A lot could be achieved with leadership administratively, without necessarily reopening the statute and without spending a whole lot of money. A strong signal from the top would bring about, I think, a quite different performance and im

Information & Ethics committee  The backlog will be pulverized, to use my colleague's language, by the end of this fiscal year, with this money. But this is not just about the backlog. This is part of the backlog strategy, but it's a new business model so we don't get back into a backlog. To be fair, we have th

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, things have changed. That is why, Mr. Chair, I made it clear in my opening remarks that we had developed a human resources strategy as part of this submission and of our budget analysis. We specifically want to stop relying on contract workers, especially for our investigati

Information & Ethics committee  There were several departures two years ago, especially among the investigators. They had all reached the PM-5 ceiling and there was a shortage in the public service. Several of them got steady jobs providing training, or dealing with access to information requests in a departmen

Information & Ethics committee  To my knowledge it is, yes.

Information & Ethics committee  The President of Treasury Board chairs. It's a cabinet committee. For the life of me, I can't remember who the other members are, but I can find out for you.