Actually, this is one of the smallest groups that I've led in a long time. Before, as assistant deputy minister even at Social Development Canada, or ESDC—it's changed names so many times—as the chief information officer there, I led an organization of over 3,000 employees, with a budget of about $30 billion at the time. At Canada pension plan or old age security, we administered over $70 billion a year in benefits to Canadians.
I was the associate deputy minister at Canadian Heritage, which was my first associate deputy minister appointment. It was an organization of over 1,600 people. It was actually 1,800, but with the DRAP, it became 1,600. I managed a number of programs and a budget also in the billions, as well as a large portfolio organization in terms of arm's-length agencies.
At Agriculture and Agri-Food, I was an associate deputy minister as well. We led an organization of over 6,000 employees and billions of dollars of benefits as well.
At Agriculture and at Canadian Heritage, the job was actually leading arm's-length organizations, so we provided the policy advice. We provided some of the regulatory guidance and the policy guidance to them, but at arm's length.
Canada Border Services Agency is an organization of 12,000 employees, and about $1.8 billion in terms of mostly operational services at the border. There, I was at an agency that was arm's length from the government.
I've had both the opportunity to be the policy lead as well as an agent that is arm's length from government. I think it has actually served me quite well.
Based on my experience in intelligence and public safety at CBSA, but also on the regulatory frameworks that I've been able to put in place, whether it be at Agriculture, Canadian Heritage, or at ESDC, and with my IT background, I believe my training for this position has been very well established.