Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week when I was answering these questions I think some members of the union got the idea that I was referring to the union as delaying the process. I want to be very clear that was not the case. The process that caused us the amount of time to fill the positions is entirely one that is within government and it is set up in order to make sure that we're vigilant in our staffing to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and in a manner consistent with government policies.

In this situation, there were people who were interviewed for positions who were not selected. They have the opportunity, if they feel they are qualified and should have had a job offer, to file an appeal. In this case, a good number of people who were interviewed did. In order to work through all of the appeals, it took a considerable amount of time following the processes as set out in our staffing procedures. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.