The act provides for two ways of putting somebody in a job. It can either be by recruiting them from outside, or by promoting someone to a higher or different level in the public service. They allow these positions to be advertised, meaning that the job post is put on the jobs website or on an internal website. It explains what the job is, and lets everybody apply who thinks they can apply. They also allow non-advertised positions, meaning that the job is not posted.
The commission prefers advertised positions, particularly when we're recruiting from outside, because I think we should have as broad a reach of Canadians as possible. In my view, these are good jobs, and everyone should be given a fair chance to apply for them.
But there are cases where it's acceptable to have non-advertised positions. For example, if you have run a process looking for someone for a specialty area and you have not been successful in finding a candidate meeting your requirements but then happen to find someone who meets your requirements, I'm fine with that kind of person being appointed unadvertised. I still expect you to document why you've done that.
About 26% or 27% of recruitments are unadvertised, and I want a good, clear explanation as to why people think it's justified to go with an unadvertised position, because my preference and that of the commission is to have these positions advertised.