In terms of whether or not we have adequate resources, the transitional clauses in the bill are quite clear. What we have in terms of the commissioner, the employees, and the appropriation from Parliament all transition to become the intelligence commissioner and his office.
What are the requirements? The requirements are having intimate knowledge of CSE activities and of CSIS activities. Clearly we have the knowledge of CSE from the work that we conduct currently in reviewing the activities of CSE, but we also have on staff now individuals who have experience and knowledge of CSIS. We had the opportunity to do some staffing over the last year, or since June at least, and we have hired individuals with knowledge and experience of CSIS activities. As well, we have engaged special legal counsel, which we have with us here, to deal with the complexity of Bill C-59.
As to whether the staff is going to be adequate going forward, there are a number of unknowns in terms of the number of authorizations that will be required from CSIS or CSE. Only once the bill is enacted and the activities begin will we have a sense of what the volume of authorizations will be, but clearly there was a sense that we have a reasonable starting point. The drafters of the legislation and the government must have felt that we at least had a good start with what we have to transition into the new organization.