It's a difficult question for me to answer, Madam Chair. Yes, people take retirements, as they have. I would be speculating as to the cause of how much or how often our freelance interpreters are working for us.
I could maybe speak anecdotally. Working in the pandemic was a challenge for interpreters, as it was for many professionals across the country and around the world. We asked interpreters.... As an essential service they had to come onto Parliament Hill. They had to leave their homes and their families. They had to come and work in a booth that's four feet by four feet with three people together during the middle of an airborne pandemic, so it was a challenge.
We worked really hand in hand with the House administration, which eventually provided individual booths, which was a great relief to our staff and to our freelancers. We had very close collaboration with the association, with the union and AIIC as well. We communicated constantly with them to ensure that everyone felt safe, that they could do their jobs and could support parliamentarians.
I don't want to avoid the answer, but there's been a shift. We have 20 fewer suppliers on our open contract since last year. I can't tell you the reasons, but it is a reality.