Mr. Speaker, I have been apprising the standing committee through its chair of some difficulties that I have encountered in getting this process moving expeditiously. The chairman knows that I had developed, early on, terms of reference for the legislative review and I believe he also knows that I had identified a person who I believed was well qualified to undertake that review.
In fact, the preliminary work began on the legislative review and the review of background material. Unfortunately, recently, I was informed this particular individual would no longer be available.
As a result, Mr. Speaker, I have had to scramble to identify another qualified person and have received a recommendation for a very highly qualified individual who, unfortunately, to this date, has not been able to confirm availability due to possible other commitments elsewhere. So, Mr. Speaker, at the moment, I have a second highly qualified person who is possibly going to soon be available to commence that work although I have yet to receive the final word on that.
These are the factors, Mr. Speaker, that have prevented the review from actually starting to date. But I can assure the Member that, because of the previous major reviews of the Workers' Compensation Board, because of the excellent work done by the A.B.C. Committee through its hearings, I think that the completion of the legislative review by the deadline required by the committee is still possible and that a great deal of the background work has already been done and it is simply, in my view, putting together work that is already in place in consultation with labour and industry. So I am confident, even though we will be starting late, that the committee's deadline can be met or come close to being met. Thank you.