I understand that.
The other thing is these individuals do gain incredible knowledge in that area that you referred to later in your comments as that grey area between policy and responsibility or administration and definition or elaboration of policy. I'm reminded a little bit about the law clerk. When he or she graduates, they are invited by competition to article with a firm such as yours. Once they go through their articling process and achieve their admission to the bar, they may be invited to remain with that firm without competition, that is, without having to go through a formal competition process that somebody who might be coming into that firm as an associate would go through.
Those are the distinctions I make. I'm fearful that we will have a position where we do not encourage young women and men of great capability to come into political service, working for ministers and MPs, with the knowledge that there is one advantage they would have: that they would not be losing those years they worked on the political side of public service, that those years would not be lost to them in a career that they might have as a public servant.
I've always found that it maintains a good balance. I've had the opportunity to work with very good women and men who evolved in the Mulroney age and who are now at the deputy minister and ADM level and have the full capability of operating their department or their branch of a department without political consideration in service to the public.
I'd ask that you comment on those points.