Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here, Minister. We very much appreciate it.
I think that today we have good news. I see in your introductory notes that you have a more careful tone and that you have a more objective interpretation of the work ahead than was the case in July. You said, “Steady state won't happen tomorrow but we're seeing progress” and that in the meantime, “I have put on hold plans to transition additional departments to the pay centre.” I want to congratulate you on being more careful in your interpretation of the situation.
Minister Foote, I'm having a hard time deciphering the statements provided to the committee and press conference statements, because the numbers are sometimes from only the Miramichi pay centre, and then afterwards we're told that satellite offices are also struggling with Phoenix.
The second point of confusion is derived from the numbers being presented sometimes as the number of files for individual public servants and then suddenly as the number of transactions.
The final but biggest frustration is receiving numbers based on backlogs, the first backlog and the second backlog, instead of based simply on the number of all files presently left unresolved.
All this jargon makes it impossible for someone who is not a pay specialist to truly be able to gauge the magnitude of how many public servants are awaiting payments to be processed right now. Here is what I as well as our journalist press group friends would like to understand clearly: What is presently the total number of individuals, current and former public servants, waiting for funds from all pay centres in Canada?