Government Operations committee  Yes, Madam Chair.

Government Operations committee  Thank you. Madam Chair, it is my pleasure to be here today to give you some of the details concerning the freeze on departments' operating budgets announced in the March 4 budget, which the committee is studying. As you mentioned, Mr. Smith, who is the assistant secretary of the Expenditure Management Division at the Treasury Board Secretariat, is with me today.

Government Operations committee  Excuse me, Madam Chair. It was actually if the member had--

Government Operations committee  Thank you.

Government Operations committee  Thank you.

Government Operations committee  We have a couple of elements there. In terms of the number of term positions, if I can put it this way, for people who come in for a defined time period, we do have some very strict rules that we monitor and that departments monitor as well. If someone has been in a term position for three years or more, they become an indeterminate, except in certain circumstances.

Government Operations committee  If there is an instance that you have identified, perhaps through the committee you could let us know or inform us.

Government Operations committee  We do monitor. The individual departments monitor and the bargaining agents do as well. If there are circumstances where the rules are not followed, we would appreciate, perhaps through the chair, being informed of that. The other element is in terms of other types of casual employment, if I can put it that way.

Government Operations committee  In fact, she has a fairly effective way of bringing those issues forward and of auditing, if I can put it that way, departments and very closely monitoring those issues.

Government Operations committee  They will continue to manage within their existing flexibilities and responsibilities.

Government Operations committee  I would say most of the deputy heads are responsible and accountable for the management of their organizations in the current state today.

Government Operations committee  Going forward, that would still continue to be the case. So they have set operating budgets; they have programs and mandates to deliver. The flexibilities they currently enjoy, they will continue to enjoy, if I can put it that way, in order to be able to manage within those operating budget envelopes.

Government Operations committee  There's no direction, no--

Government Operations committee  That's correct.

Government Operations committee  Well, the main estimates basically put the numbers on the table, so when Parliament votes on them, they will--