Mr. Chair, it is critical to basically have our full complement in order to basically avoid backlog, and also in order to provide the same level of services in every single region of this country. Let me just give you an example.
We have been without a judge in the Atlantic region for about two to two and a half years now. Do we provide service to the Atlantic region? Yes. We basically ask a judge currently in Windsor or in Edmonton or in Vancouver, where we have more than one, to travel. If there is a language requirement for a French client, we send a French-speaking person there, or a bilingual person, to basically offer the services.
We will allow more flexibility to Atlantic Canada to provide them with their judge locally. We will also allow them to basically do the bulk of the work as far as promotion is concerned. But right now we're just limiting them to what we call the raw level of services.
The important thing is not only filling those positions, but making sure they are reappointed on time. I can't talk for my agency colleague, but one of the key things that is important too is the possibility of making our political masters sensitive to the fact that when you have a vacancy in the making, or when you have the end of a term in the making, a government should basically get its act together in order to inform the person in that position if they are reappointed. If they are not, then the government has to make a timely replacement of that person for the machine to keep going. I think it is crucial.