I think the form it would take is the building and rebuilding and strengthening of our policy analysis capacities within departments. And this is primarily handled in the strategic policy units and in the policy analysis components of departments. To a certain extent, this function was eroded about 10 years ago when the government, of course, in a fiscal crisis, had to undertake an enormous amount of reduction across all of government. But it has been rebuilding, and I think it's rebuilding quite well. But what I do think it needs is a better balance of individuals and a better balance of capacities within it.
It was mentioned earlier that Department of Finance officials will sometimes move from Finance into departments. And I think this is very important. My own experience, when that happens, is that quite often the expertise that can come into line departments from even tax policy people, from policy analysts, and from others from the central agencies can be extremely useful in helping position that analysis and position the work of setting out the priorities. So the interactions--and this is my point--between the line departments, whether Human Resources and Social Development, Canadian Heritage, or Health Canada and so on, and the Privy Council Office and the Department of Finance can be done at a sophisticated and high level so that the analysis and the facts can make a difference.
It's through the interaction across the issues that things get resolved, in my view. It allows for the spending perspective, the program delivery perspective. It allows the people who are closest to the client and who are most sensitive to those sorts of issues to deal with those in the Department of Finance and other central agencies who might be a little less sensitive to these issues, largely because they're focused on issues of broader concern and on different kinds of concerns.
I think the interaction within government becomes very important. What I'm arguing against is the splendid isolation of these units, either within a ministry or across ministries and departments. They need to be integrated into the policy analysis capacity so one can examine all the ramifications.
I have one final word. If there is one thing that has some political resonance, I think it is the question of gender. Gender has implications as to kinds of individuals and where these individuals are, where they vote. So there should be a demand for this kind of analysis to know the ramifications and how this will affect men and women. How will it affect older women, younger women, single women, poor women, soccer moms in 905, women in remote communities, farming women, and this sort of thing?
There's a natural incentive here, I think, that can be used and should be exploited. Just to repeat, I think it's through the interactions between central agencies and ministries that this becomes important, and not in isolation where these units are set.