Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. I don’t have the numbers here, and the details aren’t all public, because it’s an agreement in principle, as you know, Senator Dagenais. As soon as the details are clearer and the government has an idea of the cost of telework and that information is made public, I will share it.

My understanding is that the process to address telework issues hasn’t been finalized. There will be a committee to look at the matter, and requests will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Having said that, I’ll do my best to get the numbers and provide them to the chamber as soon as possible.

[English]

Senator Dagenais: You talked about telework. As a former union leader, I’d like you to inform the President of the Treasury Board that a letter of understanding on working from home is an integral part of a collective agreement.

This collective agreement represents a $1.3-billion annual wage increase. I’m not opposed to home-based work. However, I’d like to know whether your government knows the real cost of the letter of understanding on working from home. As we’ve come to expect over the past few years, this government continues to sign agreements without considering what it will cost Canadians.