Thank you, Chair.
We haven't done a lot of specific work in a lot of departments recently, but certainly based on past work and knowledge that we have of government, while the situation in Foreign Affairs is maybe a little more serious and more critical than some of the others, it is a general problem throughout the public service. There will be a large cadre of executives who are able to retire within the next few years, and what we've noted in past audits is that the level below them is about the same age, so in fact two levels of senior people will be eligible to retire.
I would note, though, that the Clerk of the Privy Council is very concerned with this, and in his most recent report, which came out about a week or so ago, on the state of the public service, he raises this as a major priority. He has an advisory committee that is looking at that. He seems to be largely focusing on recruitment initially and on some retention activities, but it might be worthwhile, if the committee is ever interested in this issue, to invite the clerk to discuss it, because he has certainly made it a priority going forward, and he has recognized and has clearly indicated that this is a major challenge for the government.