Mr. Speaker, I think our employees fully understand the fiscal realities governments in Canada find themselves in.
The need to bring down the deficit and for better control of the debt is what we promised to do in our red book and what we promised to do as a result of the budget and bringing the deficit down to 3 per cent of GDP. This has become a necessary part of that kind of control, and I think it is understood by our employees.
I also think they understand the other part which is to help create and maintain jobs. That is certainly what we wanted to do in the case of the public service.
Having said that, National Public Service Week gives us the opportunity to recognize the valuable contribution our employees are making through the provision of services to the people of the country. The member for Ottawa West initiated it through Parliament some two years ago so that we could recognize the dedication and commitment of our public servants
and at the same time tell Canadians about the valuable services they are providing in a more cost effective fashion.