Thank you very much for your presentations. I would like to focus on the issue of the Public Service Labour Relations Board and its great expertise as opposed to a new tribunal.
Despite the questions and comments of some of my colleagues, both organizations have pointed out on numerous occasions that all the required expertise already exists within the Public Service Labour Relations Board. Although these are appointments, if I'm not mistaken, these appointments are done in consultation with the employer, the unions, the professional associations, etc. and the people appointed have to have great expertise in labour relations. They might be lawyers who practice in the field of labour relations, and so forth. Therefore, these are people who have academic training or professional training in this field, or both.
In addition, if I understood correctly, you are saying that we should give the Public Service Labour Relations Board the powers that Bill C-2 gives to the new tribunal as well as certain new powers that you've suggested or recommended. Therefore, an employee would have a real choice, because he would have assurance that he's dealing with people who have expertise in the area of labour relations. If we were to create a new tribunal made up of judges who don't necessarily have expertise in this area, the employee wouldn't have much of a choice. In a way, this choice would be illusory.
It's a sleight of hand.
Am I understanding your positions clearly?