We've had quite a bit of discussion with Treasury Board. The policy that was used up to this point was a leave without pay policy. That policy is a bit of a problem because it allows these kinds of actions to occur but it doesn't speak particularly to the importance of the specific directions that have to be given that any of this kind of movement has to take into account the non-partisan nature of the public service. Anyone who leaves has to be confident they will have a place they can come back to, a type of work they could come back to in the public service that wouldn't be compromised. There has to be quite a bit of specificity on how that occurs and how they come back. In a period that is less than a year, they would come back to a job, their job would be kept open. But after a year, how do they come back?
My suggestion is they come back through the priority system or through a competition so they can compete for any job. It doesn't have to be a long, complicated policy, but there has to be a clear set of expectations about how it's done.