Government Operations committee  I can't speak for all staff in corporate services, but certainly the staff who work for me on the website are people we have seconded from other government departments. So they are on a short-term basis. And indeed, I have authority under this submission. We would hire up to eight employees.

Government Operations committee  In our budget, according to the figures I have handy, we have about $200,000 of the total $3.9 million dedicated to what you would roughly call a public opinion research type of activity. And I would have to get back to you with the specifics of which particular firm that $200,000 might go to.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, I think I have a commitment to get back on this question.

Government Operations committee  Thank you very much for the question. Mr. Chair, I'd like to reserve the right to come back if the answer I give needs further clarification. My understanding of the process and the way it's typically done is that a standing offer process is in place with Public Works. A roster of firms go through a competitive process, and we generally draw firms from that process.

Government Operations committee  My understanding is that it is certainly the process we used here. If there was anything different, I would certainly get back to the committee. My experience in all the various activities we've been involved is that we've used the typical standing offer competitive process to go through it.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for the question. Mr. Chair, to answer the member's question, it might be helpful to step back very briefly and talk about the big blocks involved in terms of this amount of money. A certain amount of funding was for corporate services support--

Government Operations committee  Again, I would have to get back to the committee. Over the course of the last number of years, there have been a number of firms engaged in various capacities. I don't have the information handy, but I'd be happy to get back with a response.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, I could certainly get back to the committee on the question.

Government Operations committee  I would endeavour to get back as quickly as possible.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, I'd be reluctant to commit to next week, but I think within the next two to three weeks, certainly.

Government Operations committee  I will certainly make best efforts to come back within two weeks.

Government Operations committee  I would have to get back to the committee with a more formal response on that.

Government Operations committee  I'm sorry, I didn't understand the question.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for your question. We want to be sure that communication is as effective as possible. We do do some analysis to make sure we are using the media that have the greatest impact. However, that is not the real purpose of media analysis. We do not use media analysis to choose a form or advertising.

Government Operations committee  As far as the credit is concerned, we have to wait for the new year, after the 2010 tax year, to gauge the results. Our sense is that more people are using the credit, but it will be six months before the numbers are available to determine the exact impact. However, the sense is that a lot of people are using it.