Thank you for the question, Ms. Chabot.
Since we are talking about the changes announced just before the last election campaign, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work done on the matter by the former minister responsible, Jean-Yves Duclos. I hope his health has improved. With respect to the changes to the appeal system, we have Mr. Duclos to thank that the ball is now rolling on some things. As you suggested, the appeal system had become dysfunctional. Our government was committed to restoring tripartism to the first level of appeal and to making the commission responsible for the process.
Unfortunately, that's not quite what we have been working on since then. The department has us working on a new mechanism, which would indeed include participation from representatives of employers and workers, but would ultimately report back to the Deputy Minister. In our view, and I think you would agree, that's not quite what had been asked for. In our opinion, it's important that the commission oversee accountability. I will tell you specifically why.
When the Social Security Tribunal of Canada was created, it was an independent structure that needed to report to no one. When the structure became dysfunctional, unemployed Canadian workers or groups of workers could only end up on the sidelines when they had complaints. It was absolutely impossible for the commission to hold anyone accountable. We do not wish to return to that situation.
However, we have been successful in making our concerns known. I say “our concerns” because I include the former employer representative at the commission. We are making the case that it's a significant deficiency. The COVID-19 pandemic has not helped us implement this new structure. We hope to be heard clearly enough to implement the changes in the right way.