Government Operations committee  I will attempt. On the request in the supplementary estimates (A) for $1.3 billion for the pay list, it is to meet the obligations of the Government of Canada as per the collective agreements that were signed with bargaining agents representing over 100,000 employees, whereby there was an agreement to eliminate the accumulation of severance for voluntary departures.

Government Operations committee  Employees have the option to avail themselves of the full amount or a partial amount, and they have to make some indication, depending on where they are in the collective bargaining agreement, to give an indication to departments. I think the first decision is due July 1 or thereabouts.

Government Operations committee  That's correct. That is the nature of the agreement we made.

Government Operations committee  Thank you. I don't know if I have the data with me to answer your question regarding the employees who are neither indeterminate nor term employees, as we call them. As for temporary services, normally we report the amounts concerned in the Public Accounts of Canada, at the end of the year, when expenses have been incurred; these people are not considered public service employees.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for your question. The external advisers were identified in the course of these strategic reviews. Thus they were a part of the activity and the modalities of the four-year cycle of activity that has just come to a close. They advised the ministers and deputy ministers.

Government Operations committee  If I may say so, I think that the value added in most cases was evident. Indeed, this allowed us to obtain the perspective of people from outside the activity who were in a position to confirm that the reviews had been duly and properly carried out. We also required that all of the programs and activities be reviewed.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for your question. Vote 20 is a central vote that concerns the insurance services we offer to public servants and retirees. It is the health care plan, for instance the possibility of having medication reimbursed; it also includes life insurance and disability insurance.

Government Operations committee  Well, one element that was established with the creation of the cabinet when the ministry was established was in fact a separate subcommittee of the Treasury Board, the strategic and operating review committee. That committee is chaired by the President of the Treasury Board. A number of ministers are members of that committee.

Government Operations committee  As the president indicated, there are some differences. The most important one I would put forward is that all organizations are being reviewed at the same time, which gives an opportunity to see the overarching impact. The other element is that there is a distinct focus on operations.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for the question. There was what was called a “horizontal review” of human resources activities across the Government of Canada. A number of decisions were made as a result of that, whereby the consolidation of activities was brought to the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the creation of the office of the chief human resources officer....

Government Operations committee  A small portion of them did not go through. We were able, using the existing frozen allotments source of funds such as vote 5, the contingency, to cover the most important requirements.

Government Operations committee  What I can do is guarantee you that we take all the steps necessary to make them as secure as possible. Every time there is a change, an innovation, we take steps to protect, to retrench even further. Is there a 100% or a 110% guarantee? Even the most secure corporation will say “We will take every step necessary”.

Government Operations committee  In many respects, when the supplementary estimates, or the appropriations bill to support the supplementary estimates, were not voted, and the House was dissolved, we had to look for the end of the fiscal year to the existing sources of supply and central votes, or votes that would have remained within organizations: things or tools that we call “frozen allotments”, central votes such as vote 5, which is a kind of contingency vote.

Government Operations committee  That's correct.

Government Operations committee  It is in fact a separate allocation for capital only. It's only capital. In the rest of their operating vote, they have a 5% carry-forward. For those that have a separate distinct capital vote, it will allow them to carry forward up to 20%.