For GIC appointees, there is a standard process the government follows. Typically, there's a poster or an advertisement made about an opening. People are invited to apply. There's a deadline set. There is a screening process that is typically managed by the Privy Council Office, in partnership with the lead department. Through that screening, a more limited set of candidates are identified. There is then an interview process.
I apologize. I don't know what happened with these individuals, but having been involved in a lot of these processes in the past in other contexts, there are sometimes psychometric assessments. There are usually reference checks, and so on. At the end of this process, the government decides, of those who make it through the screen, which ones will be selected, and then they are approved by the cabinet through the GIC process.
There's a very elaborate process. It typically includes conflicts of interest checks, security checks, etc.