Maybe I could offer a perspective. I was twice chair of boards of crown corporations in Manitoba, appointed by different governments and advertised to be a non-partisan board chair. I had colleagues on those boards of directors who came from political backgrounds, but they had appropriate expertise. Just because someone at some time in the distant past, perhaps, had been a Liberal, a New Democrat, or a Conservative doesn't mean they should automatically be disqualified. Again, it goes back to the purpose of this body. A very small body of 10 people I think would send the message we're all about governing. That we're there to oversee the chief statistician, we're invited to step over the line between the policy-making inside Statistics Canada and become interested in the budget process, in staffing the agency, in operational matters. I think that would be a danger. It's not like a board of directors of a crown corporation, or a private corporation, a commercial firm. It's a different entity. The body would be there to serve the public interest. There, I think you need broader representation than just 10.
On April 6th, 2017. See this statement in context.