Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, the deputy minister mentioned that he did not know the size of the caseload. On April 1, 2012, there were 4,000 in the backlog of appeals, and the trend was gradually increasing.
Obviously you must have had an indication that it was not going to go down below 4,000. Instead, it was creeping up. You may not have known the exact number of 6,500, but even with that, to put it very mildly, it is quite surprising that without any infrastructure and without adequate resources, systems, or operational processes, this tribunal was opened.
Ms. Brazeau, you mentioned that you joined a week before it was opened. Were you aware soon after joining of the mess that you inherited?