This “behind the wizard's curtain” aspect is the outcome of almost 25 years of internal CIC strategic planning. The terms were “streams” and “pools”, and it was Minister Robillard's public officials who came up with them. At this date, in 2013, we're finally delivering the end of that strategic plan.
The problem was one of political philosophy: we are government; we know what we are doing; trust us. And on the other hand: you are government; we don't trust you; show us what you're doing. It can't be resolved.
Case-specific oversight is too cumbersome and surely too expensive. What I had in mind is a safety valve. The mere presence of an ombudsperson may provide the required deterrence.
What I have in mind is not another Nortel disaster. Our immigration system overly focused on information technology people to the exclusion of many others. How did that decision get taken? We'll never know officially.
In terms of the ombudsperson, which is where I'm headed here, the mere presence of an individual who can access real-time management reports and every facet of this expression of interest system will provide a bureaucratic chill and keep things on the up and up—honest. Otherwise we will have an unguarded, politicized immigration selection system.
We don't want to go back there. It produces disasters.