I would like to clarify something, if I may. These compensation staff were not employees of Public Services and Procurement Canada but, rather, of 46 different departments. In fact, 1,300 letters went out to employees in 2014 to let them know that their positions were going to be affected and that they had to either find another job or weigh their options according to a very specific process. Afterwards, 550 employees were gradually hired at the Miramichi pay centre.
That process, however, had already begun within the departments; the decision was not made by Public Services and Procurement Canada. Another factor is also worth pointing out: the departments were already under pressure because they did not have the staff to keep using the existing system.