Government Operations committee  In our opinion, yes. We will give CPSA credit where credit is due. They are working on the systems that will allow the transactional portion of our job to be more streamlined. The bottom line is it is not going to be developed within the next five years. We've been waiting over a

Government Operations committee  It takes up to two years to train an adviser in the compensation and benefits area. We tend to say it takes up to five years to become a fully competent compensation adviser.

Government Operations committee  Yes. Madame Boudria stated that they have a five-year plan now. They were five years late starting, but they do have a five-year plan now. We have a slight concern with the fact that they are looking at only 100 positions in the next five years, but that's their job too.

Government Operations committee  We believe it has to be a balance of both. There can be a pay system that makes the transactional portion of our functions more streamlined and will allow managers and employees to self-serve in certain areas. But there is no pay system that will be able to accommodate the comple

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.

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  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  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.