Evidence of meeting #24 for Finance in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was position.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Laforest Bloc Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
This is a senior official in an already organized structure. Will there be any impact on the classification of existing employees? I would imagine there will be additional costs. Will people have to be reclassified?
4:15 p.m.
Acting Director General, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament
I do believe that the models we have studied might have an impact on the classification of the most senior officials, but in my view, this will not have an inflationary impact on specialists in other levels.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Laforest Bloc Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
Earlier, you said you had entrusted a specialized firm with the selection process. You send out a call for tenders. How many companies submitted bids, and what is the cost of the contract awarded?
4:15 p.m.
Acting Director General, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament
I don't know how many firms submitted bids, but Mr. Darling can answer that question.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
4:15 p.m.
Senior Special Advisor, Parliamentary Budget Officer Project, Library of Parliament
To clarify, six national search firms were invited to bid. In the end, we received a proposal from only one. But we had to go through that process.
The contract—
4:15 p.m.
Acting Director General, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament
The amount was $50,000.
4:15 p.m.
Acting Director General, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament
Yes, it is. The person whom Mr. Young spoke about earlier—Ms. Richard—did excellent work. In fact, if we looked at the hours she put in and the work she did, I think the contract was a bargain. It could have been much more expensive; in other processes, the cost is often a percentage of the salary that will be paid to the person appointed. In this case, we obtained a fixed price that we consider very reasonable.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for coming this afternoon.
I just want to clarify one thing for my colleagues across the way. I understand where their frustration is, but the decision was made in setting this up that instead of loading the budgetary office staffing with a bunch of economists to repeat the forecasting efforts that other independents are able to do, you're just basically going to contract that out and hire that information. Is that correct?
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
You mentioned in response to another question that the classification of the job may be—and I'm just saying “may be”—part of the reason that things have not moved as quickly once you made the selection, and there might be a discussion on what that classification should be. Did it affect the quality and quantity of applications to the job?
February 13th, 2008 / 4:20 p.m.
Parliamentary Librarian, Library of Parliament
It did. What happened was that a lot of people were screening themselves out, based on the classification of the position.
4:20 p.m.
Parliamentary Librarian, Library of Parliament
I think not.... Well, that's part of it, obviously. Part of it is also the clout that a classification will give you in any system. For example, this person will be negotiating with people at the highest level in the Department of Finance. If you look at the Ray & Berndtson report, I believe it says in the report to me that from the beginning,
those knowledgeable of the role voiced concern regarding the classification and compensation assigned to the position. It was felt that this may adversely affect the profile and seniority of possible candidates or that individuals could underestimate the importance Government places on the role.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
That could be an issue that's being discussed, then--that maybe that position should be reclassified. I appreciate that.
Is it the case that the individuals applying would have known the classification of the job?
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Okay. My reading of it is that it was in the budget plan for 2006, and part of the job that I foresee for the position, and I want to know how that was presented to the potential candidates and what your view of the role is, is that not only do we deal with the fiscal forecast at budget time--you know, how much surplus we're going to have, what the future of interest rates is, and all that stuff--but also that if one of us came up with a crazy idea and wanted to do something, the office could provide an independent analysis of that program or that idea. Did you foresee that as part of the role of that budgetary office?
4:20 p.m.
Parliamentary Librarian, Library of Parliament
That's in the legislation. The legislation states that the officer will have as one of his functions the costing of proposals by members of Parliament or by committees of Parliament.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Is it broken down as to how much time? Is that a lot of their work, a small part of their work? Do we know that yet?
4:20 p.m.
Parliamentary Librarian, Library of Parliament
Quite frankly, that part of the job is going to be demand-driven, and I don't know whether the budget is adequate or not in that area. I'm perfectly prepared to go back and seek more resources if the costing function is going to take up an undue proportion of the individual's time, given the other responsibilities he or she might have.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Has the library received cash so far in terms of budgetary allocations, even though nobody is in this position as of yet?
