Government Operations committee  He has visited Canada about five times, Mr. Chair. He provides advice to the minister and to me and my project team on our integrated work plan and the various projects and work that we've launched to support stabilization.

Government Operations committee  Yes.

Government Operations committee  I would say that the work he has performed has largely been to stress test the integrated plan that we've posted on our website and are advancing through the governance process. He has been to Miramichi twice, to observe the operations there and to provide suggestions around oppo

Government Operations committee  In general he does, but to the minister as well.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, thank you for the question. I think the context here is the funding that was received in budget 2019 for the department. Essentially, we are looking at operational funding for one year only, which will necessitate a return to the centre for a budget request for budget

Government Operations committee  In this instance, I think it would be prudent in terms of understanding the progress that is made on the queue when we might be in a position to in fact project a decrease. We've been managing a lot of our hiring on a determinate basis, bringing in people on shorter-term contract

Government Operations committee  There is a certain amount of risk management associated with this, but at the same time, most of the people who are coming in to work on compensation are coming in at entry-level CR-5, AS-1 and AS-2 positions, and we know that, grosso modo, there are opportunities across the publ

Government Operations committee  Some may feel the need to move on if they have the opportunity for indeterminate positions, but also, with a foot in the door, they can apply through other competitive processes for indeterminate positions as well.

Government Operations committee  I think it's important to underline that there are different skill sets that are brought to bear on HR-to-pay solutions. There are the compensation staff who work on files, but there are also a number of very skilled technical people who are working on the system and articulating

Government Operations committee  I would have to get back through the clerk with the specific number, but it's in the hundreds.

Government Operations committee  Yes.

Government Operations committee  The government, in budget 2018, made a very clear signal that they were looking for a next-generation HR-to-pay system. The Treasury Board Secretariat, under the chief information officer, is now looking at options for what that new system could/should look like based on availabl

Government Operations committee  Certainly. As the minister mentioned, we have seen progress with the pod model since it was launched with a pilot in December 2017, in three departments. We've been working since then with the staff at the pay centre in Miramichi and in our regional offices to expand the model as

Government Operations committee  Absolutely.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, as you will recall, Treasury Board Secretariat was allocated $16 million over two years in budget 2018 to explore options for the next-generation pay system. That work is being led by the chief information officer, Alex Benay, at Treasury Board Secretariat. There are c