Mr. Chairman and honourable member, thank you very much for that question.
I may perhaps after this moment be known as the member from Moose Jaw, but so be it. I'm very proud of that.
I thank you for the acknowledgement of my university background. I think that the mandate of a board member, a permanent board member, is to be able to act as an independent decision-maker, one who makes decisions that are based on the facts of particular cases that are brought before the National Energy Board.
That whole focus as an independent decision-maker extends, in my view, beyond the issue of qualifications, either technical qualification or even a university qualification basis. In my view, the nation's best interests are best served by decision-makers who can demonstrate balance, fairness, and at the same time capability to review the facts of the cases or the applications that are brought before it and look broadly down the field to try to craft decisions that are in the broader public interest of all Canadians, not just applicants or others who may be affected by it, but all Canadians.
Having done some of the things you touched on, I believe I have the capacity and capability not only to take that balanced view and bring technical qualifications to the table, but also to author reasons for decision and to understand that broader public interest.
I don't want to go too much further into it, but part of that background has been in working with a broad range of aboriginal and northern communities in the last 30 years, as you've seen on my CV. The privilege of working not only east-west but north-south across those cultural dimensions, I think, has given me a humility in the face of the interests of all Canadians, all Canadians meaning all Canadians from east to west and north to south.
I don't know if I've answered your question adequately, but my view is that I hope I've demonstrated that capacity for balance and fairness.
Thank you.