Minister, this request in Bill C-50 is all about expanding your discretionary power, yet with the IRB, and under your watch, you have increased the refugee backlog by something in the order of 300%, from about 20,000 up to 60,000. You've reduced the number of judges available. At one point, there was a backlog of about only 10 appointments, and now it's up to around 60 appointments. To no one's great surprise, therefore, the processing times have gone up exponentially.
Then, in a blatant political move, you substituted your own political discretion for the advice of the advisory panel, and a week later the advisory panel quit en masse. Then you come to this committee and say, “Trust me, I want to have more discretionary power.”
My question is quite simple, Minister. Given your track record with respect to the IRB, where you reduced appointments and increased wait times, and in effect substituted your own political decisions for those of the advisory panel, why should we trust you with respect to this increased discretion?