Okay. I'll start off.
Thank you for the comments, and I appreciate the passion.
I have two points on the backlogs and a plan for a plan. I guess I would just respond by saying a couple of things. As with all backlogs, you need to slow the growth of the backlog before you can begin to eliminate it. That's the process we're in right now.
We will eventually be in a position to seek funding to reduce and eliminate the backlog over time, and that is the plan that was followed in the past—successfully—by the board. Unfortunately, in the board's 30-year history there have been backlogs, and over time they do get reduced. You slow the growth of the backlog first, and then you eliminate the backlog, but I appreciate the member's comment.
On screening, I would simply note that since the conclusion of the audit period this past summer, no hearings have been postponed on account of security in the sense that now, as a result of the work that CBSA has done in dedicating increased priority to security screening and resources, coupled with the IRB's controlling of its own schedule, we are choosing files that are hearing-ready as a result of our ability to look at our inventory. We're in a position to schedule hearings for which the front-end security screening has already been completed.
I'm pleased to report and assure this committee that not only has member unavailability gone down as a reason for postponements, but so too has security screening, to the point where it's actually 0% since September.