Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also have a question for the Minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board. During the public hearings held on the Workers' Compensation Board by the Standing Committee on Agencies, Boards and Commissions, an organization calling itself "northern employers council on workers compensation" argued that the drive to make board appointments based on political considerations of ethnicity, regionalism, or gender can result in a board lacking the skills and understanding to adequately perform its duties. The standing committee rejected this position completely and in its June 26 report pointed out the advantages of having a board which adequately reflects diverse regional and aboriginal perspectives.
Will the Minister also reject this position and confirm that he has established a principle that appointments to the board should in fact be made in a way that ensures the perspective of all regions and cultures are represented?
---Applause