Public Accounts committee  Even though, once again, this may strike you as being rather basic, we have set deadlines and time periods for the various reports. In fact, these were prepared in different sectors and within different organizations. We have now consolidated all those responsibilities and functions within one body, the Treasury Board Secretariat.

Public Accounts committee  I would ask Mr. MacLeod to respond to that. I believe that the 2008-2009 report that will soon be tabled should have been tabled possibly six months ago.

Public Accounts committee  If I may, Mr. Chairman. We are required by law to table reports within the time periods contained in the Official Languages Act, the Employment Equity Act, and the Access to Information Act. There are therefore deadlines and requirements. We comply with those. That is what I meant when I referred to priorities and legislative and parliamentary requirements.

Public Accounts committee  With regard to deputy minister accountabilities and attention given to human resources, I would be remiss if I did not mention that one of the follow-on elements of the PSMA, if I can put it this way, has been the clerk's public service renewal program or initiative, because there we have started to synthesize some of the core elements that we need to continue to pay attention to and to refine: the areas that are essential to human resource management and the meeting of the PSMA objectives, but more importantly to an ongoing and solid performance on the part of human resource management.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I would say I get feedback from my managers on a regular basis about human resource management and issues, about how quickly or not quickly we're moving in certain areas. There are also some frustrations, I would say, with our information systems, of being able to get the information you need in a timely fashion in order to be able to make those decisions.

Public Accounts committee  I'm glad you picked up on that, because it is not a question of resistance or undermining. I think it is a fundamental shift into how the practice is practised. I do believe we have made significant changes to the way in which we work with that community of professionals, to help them and to encourage that interaction in a very positive way.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you. I think originally, since the piece of legislation was introduced at the secretariat, as a department we've probably had to add maybe three people, just for the implementation of the legislation per se.

Public Accounts committee  If I may, Mr. Chair, the core public service or the core public administration has over 200,000 employees. In order for us, and for Ms. Cartwright, to get a sense of how deep were the changes and how they were felt, being able to consult or contact 500 people among the 200,000 is not a huge number of people to be in touch with.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, we do not use business case analyses, that is we do not undertake any cost-benefit analyses in order to determine whether we are progressing in the area of human resources. For example, the purpose of one of our questions is to find out if all staff within a department have a training plan.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, with respect to human resources issues, a business case analysis can be done. Because of the time it takes to fill a position, it is more costly to replace an individual or temporarily fill a position than it is to fill a position when that position is empty. An individual can be found to replace another.

Public Accounts committee  New indicators, if I may say so, have been created. They allow us to find out, for instance, if all the employees have a training plan. This element had not been measured previously and now it is being measured. Do the departments have governance structures for human resources management?

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I will be pleased to do so.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, we recognize that these delays are unacceptable. As I said, we have taken measures to solve the problem.

Public Accounts committee  I'm trying, Mr. Chair.

Public Accounts committee  Very quickly, Mr. Chair.