An aging workforce and increasing competition for the skills and knowledge of people are not something that is unique to the Government of Canada. It's affecting us right across the country. It's a challenge for all of us in terms of finding new individuals to fill the places of those who have retired. We are taking measures to deal with this particular issue.
For example, in some situations, I know that on public safety with the RCMP.... Back in 1998, when I was in the provincial government, the federal government at the time shut down Depot, the training centre for RCMP officers. It was at a time when they knew that half of the RCMP officers in Canada would be eligible for retirement within five years. They shut down Depot. That decision had a terrible impact on us, especially in western Canada, where we rely almost exclusively on the RCMP in rural areas.
Those coming into government accelerated the training of RCMP officers from approximately 800 to 1,800. It's put a tremendous strain on the individuals providing the training, and yet we have to provide quality training. Officers are receiving that training. I'm proud to say that my own nephew is going through RCMP training in Regina at this time.
It is a challenge for the public service, particularly the RCMP, in that context. We are responding. We'll continue to respond to that.
The issue of bilingualism in the public service is of course a very important one. We recognize that we are a bilingual nation. There's no question about that. We want to ensure that citizens receive services in the official language of their choice. It is a commitment this government has made.