The "Shadow" Public Service

They work in government offices. They're paid by the government. And they're not really government employees, as far as the public service is concerned. But their numbers have been growing dramatically, and they're costing taxpayers a lot of money -- a billion dollars a year.

A report released on Thursday calls contract employees and consultants the Shadow Public Service. David Macdonald is a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the report's author. He joined us to talk about what this shadow public service really means.