To assist them in their pastoral work, the Bishops in Canada have established a permanent bilingual secretariat in Ottawa as the headquarters of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). The secretariat is staffed by approximately thirty-five people, most of whom are lay, and houses various departments and services. The secretariat’s offices and services, under the overall supervision of the General Secretary, carry out the work and projects entrusted to them by the Executive Committee, Permanent Council, and Plenary Assembly. They also assist the Conference, especially through the Executive Committee, in maintaining its institutional relationships with the Holy See, other Episcopal Conferences, Canada’s four Regional Episcopal Assemblies, individual dioceses both in Canada and abroad, as well as with ecclesial communities, other religious leaders and traditions, and government bodies.