Yes.
I think it would be perhaps worthwhile, Chair, to have a discussion with the committee on this issue.
In the gender-based analysis, particularly, we were looking at the process that these analyses go through. An important part of the process, to us, is the challenge function that is done by the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Privy Council Office. There's an analyst somewhere in either one of those departments who challenges to see the following: Has the analysis been done? Has it been done rigorously? Has it been considered in the policy? Is it built into the policy options?
We were told that those analyses take place, but that the only documentation or evidence that they do is in the recommendation to ministers, which, of course, we don't see. We believe there should be some documentation of that challenge function within those departments. Quite frankly, how do people know that it's ever occurred if it's not...?
We're not asking for a tome. We're not asking for 50 pages. But there isn't even an e-mail on this. It's a little astounding.
The government is quite adamant that they disagree with us. They believe it would be too onerous to do this documentation. They indicated in certain periods, for example, in budget proposals, that the timelines were very short, they might not have the time. We can probably understand in certain circumstances that may occur, but I just can't believe there can't be some documentation of this challenge function.
That's where the issue is: they indicate to us that it is largely verbal, and that the only indication it is done at all is in the recommendation to the ministers.