Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On that timelines for reviews and appeals, the WCB's response, although it's long, a couple of pages, it basically outlines what they're doing now, but really it's not speaking about how this could be improved, and that's the kind of response that gets us wanting, as Mr. Braden said. Mr. Chairman, I think it's really important to note that when we are here talking about this and trying to improve the situation, we're not saying that everybody should be entitled to compensation or anything like that. As Mr. Miltenberger said, I think that when the system works, that's the time when you have less cases coming before us. This is not our department, if you don't mind me saying so. I mean it's just that in my job, in our job we get everybody coming and talking to us and we're not the first point of contact for their issues. When they're stuck, they come here and they're welcome to come here. From our point of view, we make assessments and we make judgments and we understand our job. I'm telling you from my standards, if I get a string of people saying the same thing from the same place about the same issue and the same process, I take that very seriously. WCB, on this issue, is one of them.
Now on these long appeals, I know WCB repeats often that they do a customer satisfaction survey and 89 percent say they liked the work or whatever. There are lots of details to that that would question that. I know an employer who was called and he was desperately wanting to answer the survey, but as soon as he said there were no claims, click, off the phone. Now, Mr. Chair mentions that there is only zero point whatever percent that are not resolved or...Okay, I understand there are many, many cases that go through the process, they're gone and they are dealt with but that's not to say there are lots of people who have given up. It's like unemployment numbers: there are people who are out of the employment market, they are not counted as unemployed. There are claimants who have just had enough, they've given up, and also you have to look at the quantity and quality of the cases.
Now, back to this point, I am very disappointed, and this is one of the, you know, many -- I'm going to have lots to say about all the other responses -- but why can we not get a response from WCB, okay, this is what we want to do to improve this situation. I am aware also, Mr. Chairman, that in between the time that the Auditor General filed her report and this response time, workers were contacted by WCB to say that we're going to settle your cases but you're going to get 50 percent, or you're not going to get retroactive pay. So what I'm saying is this is very important. This is very important.
I want to know that if workers are entitled to something, they're entitled to something; and if they're entitled to something, they're entitled 100 percent. There's nobody who should be allowed to say to them you're only going to take 50 percent. If you're entitled, you're entitled. If you're not, you're not. All I'm interested in hearing is they go and get assessed, worker says no, they should go to the tribunal process where they're well resourced; that they have an independent, fair-minded hearing and they are well resourced to present their case. They can have a fresh hearing...which is questionable at the moment, which I will deal with later. If they win the case in Supreme Court or the next level of the hearing, I want them to be able to make some progress with that win and not go back to the same process where they're going to be reviewed by the same people, the same way, same rules, same lack of resources and all the resources on the WCB part. I have a problem with that. I want a fair process out of this. I want a fair system whether it's one person, five people, 50 people. They could all go there, they're going to get a courteous, compassionate worker service at the entry level; and if they have grounds for appeal, they should be able to appeal, and they should get legal resources. If WCB has the resources to make their argument, I want the people to have legal resources. I want them to rely on their own medical opinion. If they're going to the tribunal, then I want the tribunal to be in a separate office with separate resources, separate medical opinions, separate lawyers. No one, no doctor, no lawyer, nobody knows everything. I hate to tell you. Everybody has to be open and be subject to counter opinion. There is no God. There is only one God and no one around anywhere here knows...
---Laughter
There is only one God; and he or she is the only one that knows everything and who can't be questioned. I know God doesn't reside in the WCB.
---Laughter
So I want to know, just on this motion, I want to know why and if Mr. Chair or the Minister could suggest if...I want a
confirmation from them that if anybody is going through this timeline, they get the fair hearing. If they're not entitled to benefits, that's fine; but not tomorrow you're entitled to 50 percent and you're going to get retroactive and then you start questioning that and you say you're cut off. Like who gives that kind of power? I want the chair to confirm that that doesn't happen and that the WCB comes with a solid plan as to how they're going to cut this, I mean, improve the timeline process without arbitrary measures. Thank you.