Finance committee  Forty decisions are typically made a year, on average.

Finance committee  I'm afraid I can't speak to HR practice. That's not my area of expertise. But there is no expectation that anyone would be leaving the public service. If they do leave the public service, they'd be entitled to the same protections and benefits of any other public servant.

Finance committee  That is correct.

Finance committee  That was one of the questions I said I'd come back to.

Finance committee  No. That is the process. It would be the same process as used in part III. We're now making the process similar for part II so that there's consistency across the program with how we treat appeals.

Finance committee  That is correct. Can I return to one question that I have the answer to? The average time of an appeal is now being limited to 90 days. On average, in the past, the appeals took six and a half months between the time the appeal hearing was held and a decision was issued.

Finance committee  As I said, our expectation is that the 90-day timeline is a reasonable limit and that the appeals will be heard and processed in that period of time.

Finance committee  As I mentioned, it is in trying to build in efficiencies in the system to ensure that these appeals are responded to in a 90-day period, and that is a common timeline for other appeals within the labour program.

Finance committee  I wouldn't be able to answer about other models. As mentioned, this is bringing it into line with the other appeals officers that exist to hear appeals under part III.

Finance committee  I don't know the answer to that question. I'll have to go back and report back.

Finance committee  Are you asking me why we changed it from the system that we have now?

Finance committee  They are occupied. They work only on appeals, but not only on hearing appeals; they do background research and investigation as well.

Finance committee  Yes, they are fully occupied in the appeals process.

Finance committee  When I said that they would be kept within the public service, I mean that they would fill positions that are vacant or positions from which people retire. They wouldn't be leaving the public service. It would be by attrition. We would be filling other positions that become vacan

Finance committee  Division 22 contains two elements. The first one consists of clauses 432 and 433, which amend section 115 of the Canada Labour Code, which in turn requires that unions and employers to file their collective agreements with the Minister of Labour. There is currently no mechanism