Thank you, Ms. Robinson.
Maria Barrados, who held your position before you, said the following in a March 2011 appearance: However, there is no independent assurance that the appointments to positions of leadership are merit-based and not politically influenced.
As members of the official opposition, we earnestly hope that things will change and that impartiality will be more present from now on.
I will use my remaining time to ask you a question on the freedom of expression of federal public servants in important positions.
Last July, Mr. Sheikh left Statistics Canada. He disagreed with Mr. Clement's decision to cut costs by abolishing the mandatory long-form census. The chief economic analyst at Statistics Canada, Mr. Cross, recently left his job, claiming he was no longer able to express his opinions in a free and independent manner.
What do you intend to do about those situations?