Public Accounts committee  On that I'd have to defer to the Treasury Board.

Public Accounts committee  Right, but I would add that the size of the bargaining units varies considerably.

Public Accounts committee  That depends on the collective bargaining processes, sir.

Public Accounts committee  That would be a decision the ministers would need to take once the system is stable.

Public Accounts committee  Given the scope of the work at the pay centre, we'll dedicate the resources to the most complicated work that we have at the pay centre.

Public Accounts committee  As Ms. Lemay mentioned, we are currently increasing our processing capacity through HR measures. Once we've finished implementing the collective agreements and gotten through this year's tax season, we expect that this increased capacity will enable us to tackle the outstanding transactions at the pay centre.

Public Accounts committee  As the Auditor General mentioned in his report, it's a long-term process. Some measures have already been initiated, and we are in the midst of developing more to tackle the system's most critical stress points. As we increase processing capacity and modify processes, the situation employees are facing will improve.

Public Accounts committee  As of October 18, the pay centre had 520,000 outstanding transactions to process.

Public Accounts committee  Yes, the system definitely works. Beyond the IT component, however, we have serious problems in relation to the HR processes.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question. We entered into a contract with IBM in 2011 after an open and transparent process. IBM provided a bid that met all of the mandatory requirements and we entered into a contract under authorities from Treasury Board to be able to design, build, and implement Phoenix.

Government Operations committee  On fair wages, we are working with our colleagues from Employment and Social Development Canada on policy options, which will likely be moving forward over the course of the next number of months.

Government Operations committee  We will be working with ESDC, so that will be part of the work that's ongoing with them now.

Government Operations committee  We don't have that information with us but we can go back and provide it to the clerk.

Government Operations committee  I'm not sure we've done the analysis. I'll have to verify that and report back to the clerk.

Government Operations committee  Absolutely. If you have the opportunity, I would encourage you to look at the PSPC website, which has very detailed information around the major procurements that are under way. That would include the marine, the land, and the air domains, with extensive information on where each project is in terms of contracting and engagement.