My thought on this, and I've been through it many times, is that I would like to see a board.... I take the FRCC as an example. There's one aspect lacking. The lacking is that the recommendation of the board should go to the public at the same time as it goes to the minister. The minister, as you say, is accountable to the people, and the minister is the people's access to overturn a decision of the board, but the board's recommendations are public.
I've been involved for five years in the southwest marine planning initiative in southern New Brunswick. With all the competing interests there and all the stakeholders that have conflict around the table, after five years we came up with the idea that we need a board that will publicly make decisions and make recommendations to the minister on things affecting marine space. The minister will either accept or reject, but at least a group will have the opportunity to arrive at a decision.