Mr. Chairman, I am advised by my officials that historically, of the total volume of contract work that goes through the department, probably between 1% and 3% are of such a nature, mostly based on value or size, that they require the direct attention of the minister.
Otherwise, as the member can tell from those statistics, the largest percentage are delegated ,according to treasury board rules, to appropriate officials at the appropriate level within the public service, always being accountable upstream to the minister.
This is an area that is subject to ministerial discretion. Ministers may conclude that a larger proportion or a smaller proportion could appropriately be subject to ministerial review. Being relatively new in the portfolio--