Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It wasn’t coined in any phrase as criticism to the present person and it should not be defined; no one should assume that was the definition of my question in any manner. My question is really more based around the context of are we going to work towards raising the standard. If you look across Canada, whatever terminology they use for the chief medical officers, they use various terminologies, but it comes down to the same types of things. A post-graduate degree in community health or a master’s degree in public health are critical elements to that type of position anywhere else.

Of course, this doctor’s qualified. That’s not the issue. The doctor’s qualified by being a doctor. That’s right now, as I understand it, what’s required in this position. So it’s not a question of can they do the job at this time. But I’m just recognizing that other regions, and pretty much virtually all regions across Canada, have a little bit of a higher standard. I’m asking what the department is doing to work with this candidate to obtain these types of credentials, such as more skills in the area of public health or in community medicine. We shouldn’t be worrying about how low the bar is. We should always be having targets not just for today, but for tomorrow and down the road; trying to work for bigger and better.

My question is not a criticism. It’s a question of are we working towards that type of credential and are we working with the present candidate in this position towards those types of positions.