Government Operations committee  I'm Jill Ronan, compensation and team leader with DND and also a member of the Association of Compensation Advisors. I'd like to start by saying good morning, Madam Chair and honourable members. We'd like to thank you for allowing us the opportunity to address you again today o

Government Operations committee  Diane Melançon will now be presenting on the second key issue, technology and service delivery.

Government Operations committee  I'd like to present on the third key issue, classification. As you can imagine, this is an issue that is near and dear to our community. The history of attempting to have these positions classified at an appropriate group and level was provided to your committee at the standing

Government Operations committee  In a nutshell, we're attempting to have this committee influence Treasury Board to step up to the plate. Even if it's a short-term solution while the long-term resolution is being put in place, it should be done now, without waiting any longer. The backlogs may have been improved

Government Operations committee  I would be hard-pressed—I think any of us would—to answer that.

Government Operations committee  I'll just give you a small example of how it could work. This month, we in DND are losing three fully qualified compensation advisers to other positions, because of the classification issue. I think we would see an improvement far sooner than the technology will take to develop,

Government Operations committee  Absolutely.

Government Operations committee  I can give you an example. When CSIS created their new classification reform and the compensation advisers' positions were reclassified, within six months—and I'll use DND as an example, because that's my department—we lost four skilled compensation advisers in a four-month perio

Government Operations committee  February 14, 2000.

Government Operations committee  It's a good thing we don't pay people that slowly, I guess, eh?

Government Operations committee  That was Treasury Board's or CPSA's number, 100 retiring. Those were the statistics they provided, and that's within the next five years. We have to say we find that number difficult to believe. In my department alone, within five years twenty of us will be leaving. And that's ju

Government Operations committee  Yes, that's a good point. At DND, based on standards that should be used, we're short seven people. I guess we look at it globally because in every department every one of us is working overtime. If you're working overtime, it means you don't have enough resources to do the job.

Government Operations committee  It's a good question. Madame Jolicoeur, in her response on December 12, basically said they have been attempting to get a modernized pay system since 1997. Although we are not the employer, the compensation has emerged in these things as they evolve. I would say it's the complex

Government Operations committee  Actually, we didn't get that they were looking at centralization of compensation services. In fact, when the question was asked about Matane, the development of a team in Matane, it was clearly stated that it was not decentralization but just locating a hybrid team elsewhere. In

Government Operations committee  We would agree with you wholeheartedly, because it's been made very clear in their evidence that it will not be in the short term that we will see technology available that can address a lot of these.