Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here and for making the effort to give your speeches partly in French, which is greatly appreciated.
I will turn to Ms. Royds, who I think is better able to answer my questions.
Ms. Royds, in recent years, we have heard about situations where mainly women were used as contract workers in the public service for their entire career. However, when it came time for them to get permanent status, to have the same social and retirement benefits as permanent public employees, they were laid off temporarily for two, three, four weeks. Then they were rehired to do exactly the same work.
The result is that even if they spend their lives in the public service doing the same job as a public servant, they never get the same benefits.
On the one hand, why did this practice exist?
On the other, does it still exist now?