Criteria are not set out that way, it is true. One of the provisions in the act requires at least 10% of members to be lawyers. If memory serves, currently, about 20% of members are lawyers. So that is not a cause for concern at the moment. I have sat on a selection committee where one person in four was a lawyer by training.
The competencies required include oral and written communication, conceptual thinking, decision-making, judgment and analytical thinking, and information seeking. These are all competencies that someone with legal training has acquired at law school, but someone who is not a lawyer by training can also have them.
Experience with groups working with refugees, no. Our basic criteria lead us to look for people who are already involved in their communities. People who have previous experience with immigrant groups and refugees can demonstrate experience of that kind. We provide a six-month training program to all newly appointed members. In addition, the board has a research section that provides members with information on situations in different countries.
It is not absolutely necessary for someone to have this knowledge already because we have the necessary tools to provide members with information when they are making a decision in a particular case.