I'm not familiar with the exact response that you received. In the recent announced reductions for the department, there were some cuts to one of our main aquaculture science programs, the aquaculture collaborative research and development program, or ACRDP. The funding level for that program was cut in half, just approximately 50%, and ten full-time equivalent positions were lost across the country in that program.
The department has been taking various steps in terms of how to identify those particular cuts. Where there were vacant positions available in those program areas, they were certainly identified as the first areas that would be reduced. As well, if there were no vacant positions, the staff complement in that particular program area was examined in terms of whether there were any people available to...that would be affected in that particular program area. So in some cases, there were no options in terms of the availability of staff in that particular program in certain regions. Subsequently those staff have been identified.
I know that the department is also doing whatever steps it can to be able to identify opportunities, for those affected employees, for looking for other opportunities within the department or within the government.
As for your specific reference to “contract”, I'm not really sure, as I said, what information was provided to you or the particular context. Could I ask if you have a bit more information? Was it contract employees for a specific program or was it just generally that there are number of contract employees?