Mr. Christopherson has experience provincially on that end.
It always begs the question, “What about the next appointment?” I don't think anyone has any qualms about David Johnston—he's an exceptional human being and an exceptional Canadian—but what about next time? Will the Liberals appoint Madeleine Meilleur next time, as they tried to do with the official languages commissioner? That's a legitimate question. If the Conservatives were in office, would the opposition have a concern with us appointing someone to fill that position unilaterally? I think that's the concern. Were we to appoint Stockwell Day as the debates commissioner, there might be some concerns around the table outside of our party. That's a challenge and a concern that we have when one party appoints a person to a position, regardless of how exceptional that person is. That's why this isn't about the person. It's about the process, which is why I think this motion is worthwhile.
The second point I want to make is about the order in council appointment. It's a concerning concept from the independent side of things. I want to read very briefly from an order in council appointment on a different subject. It says that pursuant to paragraph 127.1(1)(c) of the Public Service Employment Act, the government appoints someone by the name of “J. Allan Shaw of Bloomfield, Prince Edward Island, to be a special adviser to the Prime Minister, to serve as an ad hoc provincial member of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments”.
I have not yet seen the order in council appointing Mr. Johnston as the debates commissioner, but under all enabling legislation, the only way this can be done is through an order in council making him a “special adviser to the Prime Minister”. That's concerning. I do not want to see this tarnished in such a way when it ought to be—and must be—based on this process, yet is done as a special adviser to the Prime Minister. Despite the words of protestation to the contrary, that's effectively what will happen.
The third point is—