Staff must demonstrate the skills and abilities required in consulting and senior policy advisory positions in the public service. They maintain and apply the training and the substantive knowledge reflected in their academic credentials, and keep abreast of developments within assigned policy fields. They must address complex issues in clear and accessible prose adapted to the needs of committee members. Their work is frequently undertaken under severe time constraints, with simultaneous assignments from several different requesters. Committee members have high expectations concerning the role and skills of staff.
Members sometimes expect their small staff to match departmental expertise.
However, committee staff is unlikely to equal the full range of expertise of such officials who specialize in a particular subject. In the final analysis, committee staff is knowledgeable and has expertise in many areas, but has to deal with an extensive range of issues and responsibilities. The New Fiscal Reality Parliament is implementing severe budget cutbacks in its spending for the next several years. Further reductions are forecast in future years. Budget cuts affect the Library directly through a reduction to its own budget, yet program reductions in other institutions to meet their new fiscal situation have resulted in increased work for the Library.