Thank you for your question.
Mr. Chairman, the board is absolutely in favour of the principle of independence. It's a principle essential to its proper operation. I should mention once again that the board enjoys institutional independence, that is to say that it suffers no direct internal or external interference from anyone. The board receives its allowances directly from the Treasury Board; there is no interference in its institutional independence.
It is also important for the board to protect or safeguard the independence of its members. The board has put in place a series of measures designed precisely to preserve their independence. For example, the internal assignment of caseloads is done in a centralized manner. Board members may recuse themselves or have an obligation to do so where there is an appearance of conflict, whether that appearance is proven or not. Furthermore, there is no interaction between board members who must consider a case and the organization of the Canadian Forces or National Defence. There are people who work for them, who assist them in their work, who make the necessary contacts and who find the information for them. So they are really isolated. They moreover work across Canada and use their work teams to examine cases. This is a sacrosanct principle.
Now one may wonder whether the fact that certain board members have a—