Mr. Minister, a provision in Bill C-50 has a certain connection to this: the Minister of Finance is given power to set up committees--advisory committees or other committees--in which the members of these committees can be appointed, bypassing Treasury Board rules. The minister can choose whoever he wants without any contracts, and the cabinet, through an order in council, can determine whatever salaries are to be paid. Your own officials confirmed this to me at the finance committee.
Would you share my concern that this might represent a problem in terms of doing indirectly what is now not according to the rules, by setting up a new mechanism that would allow Mr. MacPhie or somebody else to be put onto an advisory group at possibly a high salary and with no competitive bidding process?