This is not a crisis, because we are managing it. Of course, if we let things slide, we might not be pleased with the results. In any case, there is no sign of a crisis. I think that we have a very clear view of what is going on and of what to expect. I also think that we are well equipped to manage the situation.
In fact, we could consider this an opportunity. If we can rightly say that the nature of the work done by the public service has undergone great changes, we can also say that the workers' needs are changing as well. In any case, those who are about to retire are not necessarily interested in undergoing training to learn entirely new ways of doing things.
Let me give you an example. I visited a Service Canada Centre in Regina. As you may know, these people have completely changed their approach. Previously, people would answer the telephone, and when they dealt with the client, they concentrated on a single problem. Now, with Service Canada, the employee has to deal with a host of questions or problems raised by the clients. It is like a shopping centre. Some employees stand and wait for clients to arrive so that they can ask the clients what they can do for them. Next, the employees bring the clients to the places where they can get answers to all their questions.
I asked a lady employed by that centre to tell me what she thought of it. I reminded her that when she first came to the public service, she sat behind a desk and did her calculations manually, and that her current job was entirely different. She answered that she was going to retire in six months, that she had accumulated all the needed years of service and that it was time for her to retire. In fact, she was not pleased with the new way of doing things. On the other hand, there are others who—