There are definitely savings. I'm reluctant to put a dollar amount on it because it's complicated and I don't want to oversimplify it. But if you think about the wage bill for the Government of Canada, on average employees earned about a week a year of severance, but there was a maximum. The wage bill for the government on an annual basis is about $30 billion, so if you took one over 52, that gives you a number. But again, you have to factor in how employees get promoted and there is a maximum that employees reach where they no longer accumulate. So it depends on whether you're dealing with someone who is a long-time public servant or a new one. It is very difficult to actually put a dollar figure on savings.
On November 26th, 2013. See this statement in context.