We go back to the fact that Statistics Canada is what's called a statutory agency; it's different from a regular department of government. The head of Statistics Canada is expected to embody both the expertise and the values systems that are needed in a national statistics system. Therefore, I don't think this should be seen as just another routine appointment made by the Prime Minister as part of a roster of deputy ministers. There is a specialized background that needs to be there in the person of the chief statistician, so therefore I'm suggesting that there be a customized appointment process. The new government, the Trudeau government, has an appointment process up online regarding order in council appointments, but it's not very informative in terms of how the process will be handled or the criteria.
In this instance, I think we should have a specialized process of appointment, where three prominent individuals with appropriate background knowledge and expertise would both do the recruitment and the initial nomination of someone to the Prime Minister, who would then put the name forward. Then, as Mel Cappe said, if the political considerations or other considerations make the Prime Minister decide he can accept none of the recommendations from the panel, he or she has the right to do that and they can answer for that. You're locating ultimate responsibility and accountability where it belongs, with the Prime Minister.