Absolutely. I think this pandemic, for everybody, has certainly added just a little bit more pressure. Working from home and still having to be very productive and deliver programs, without an opportunity to walk walking down the hall or down a flight of stairs to talk to your co-worker to get a different kind of perspective, is very difficult. A five-minute conversation in the office is now turning into a one-hour video conference, unfortunately. You're absolutely right: I've heard from our members that it is very stressful, that it is extremely stressful, yet they still want to be productive.
I'll just give you an example. When the CERB, the Canada emergency response benefit, was created, the commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency, Mr. Hamilton—in effect the deputy minister—put out a request for volunteers. He said that he needed volunteers, regardless of what job they were doing, to administer the CERB, and that they were going to be in a call centre environment basically answering questions. He said he needed 1,000 volunteers, and 7,000 employees of the Canada Revenue Agency put up their hands and said they would volunteer to do that work.
Yes, you're right, it is very stressful times for everybody, including federal public sector workers trying to be very productive at home. Federal public sector workers are very proud of and very dedicated to the work they do, absolutely.