I think it was a combination of a number of things. You alluded to the fact that decisions and reviews by previous commissions are of course looked at each time a new quadrennial commission is put in place. If you have a look at the 2003 McLennan commission, they addressed this issue very clearly and came to the conclusion that there would no recommendation with respect to a differential between trial and appellate judges.
That was the view they had at the present time. Again, when we came up with responses to this...one of the considerations that is set out in the Judges Act is the prevailing economic conditions in Canada, including the cost of living and overall economic financial position of the federal government. That being said, that's one of the criteria. Again, maintaining the fiscal responsibility as the Government of Canada is our responsibility. On the other hand, there are provisions within the Judges Act that ask us to look at the role of financial security of the judiciary and ensure judicial independence, and the need to attract outstanding candidates.
I'm of the opinion, and it has been my experience, that in terms of attracting qualified individuals to sit on the Court of Appeal, we have not had a problem, and there isn't a problem in Canada attracting outstanding individuals with the current salary and benefit levels, and other things that would attract people to the judiciary. It hasn't been a problem, and, quite frankly, I don't believe there is a consensus in Canada that there should be a differential. Again, as I pointed out, in the 2003 quadrennial commission they addressed it very directly and said no, they wouldn't recommend that.