In terms of the backlog, you need to ask what the backlog is about. I mean, there are two ways to look at it. Either you try to apply more resources to eliminate the backlog, or I would go to the source of the backlog and ask why we have so many complaints of delays, complaints that are deemed refusals, complaints of exemptions. I would rather work on this. If the message were to be sent loud and clear to institutions....
Contrary to my good friend Monsieur Conacher, I'm not for penalties. I'm for appealing to the ideals of public servants. I'm absolutely convinced that they will respect the law if they are told to. It's a question of priority: we want you to do this and we expect you to do that. If institutions, instead of sending me letters saying it's going to be extended by 210 days.... In the end, it probably requires more effort to apply an extension and defend it, or to have a complaint created, than it is to respond in the first place.
But at the moment there is no incentive, and there's no pressure on the higher management in institutions to tell their ATIP staff, “First of all, we'll give you the resources you need to do the job, and second, we expect you to do the job within the deadlines set by the act.” In the States it's 20 days, not 30 days, and they seem to be able to do it.