Public Accounts committee  Again, that would be a policy decision of the government. That is not something I would be in a position to give you a view on.

Public Accounts committee  That is part of the government's approach in terms of implementing the policy, to make use of what I've referred to as transitional measures. Where there may be a selection process under way and a vacancy that is critical in terms of the continuing business of government, there w

Public Accounts committee  The one thing I should clarify is that during the period of the audit, which was 2010 to 2015, there was a different process in place. The transitional appointments are something that this government has put in place through the implementation of the new policy approach, but at a

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I'll ask my colleague from Industry to respond.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I said it would not accelerate the appointment process because we are taking the merit-based selection process and applying that to a broader base of appointments. In doing that, as we are through this transitional time of implementing the new policy approach, we are l

Public Accounts committee  I appreciate that view. That's an important consideration. There are only a few Governor in Council appointments that have a statutory requirement for bilingualism. Those are primarily agents of Parliament. Bilingualism is something that is obviously a preference. It's always goo

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, may I?

Public Accounts committee  Thank you. That is something, and we can certainly monitor that in terms of whether we are getting a high number of applicants for a particular position. It is information. It is not intended. I take your point that this may have an effect on people's willingness to put themselv

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I would like to clarify in terms of the delays and staff requirements, that when I made my remarks it was about building capacity in terms of the new approach, which has expanded the open, transparent, and merit-based process to a much broader range of appointments. I

Public Accounts committee  I think we have the tools in place through the online application process, through some clarity in terms of how the process will apply to all of the positions, in order to do our work efficiently. I do not think it necessarily will accelerate any single process, but we are workin

Public Accounts committee  I take your point. The reports of an auditor general are always very focused in terms of giving us recommendations of a specific nature with regard to that particular audit. I do think there are ongoing improvements beyond the timing of those reports. Certainly in 2009 there were

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, we obviously would not see the impetus for that application. We see the individual's application through the website. Whether or not they've been encouraged to apply, it always comes from the individual. They create a user profile, so we know it is that person who is a

Public Accounts committee  No, I think that merit is the baseline. Open, transparent, and merit are the fundamental elements of how the selection process is structured. Diversity is equally important, but it follows on merit. Merit is always the baseline for measuring an applicant's qualifications. The div

Public Accounts committee  Again, Mr. Chair, I would note that ministers make those choices. We provide them with information. The first level of information we do going through the selection process is the assessment against all those selection criteria, which are education, experience, knowledge, and per

Public Accounts committee  That's correct.