I have a little trouble with the idea that the agency shall consist of not more than five members. Then it goes on, in clause 5, which amends subsection 18(2), to say, “shall reside in the National Capital Region.”
Are there any other groups like that? Around the table there are very few of us who reside in Ottawa or who are compelled to do so because of the position we hold. As the honourable member mentioned, if somebody from Vancouver is appointed, it would probably be through an order in council for a three-year period, or whatever it might be. That person would be at a certain level, and he or she would now be employed full-time rather than working on a per diem basis with a certain guarantee of an honorarium, as was previously the case. What are we thinking of here? Secondly, more importantly, why would we insist?
It would appear that the committee would always have to meet in Ottawa. The people who worked on it would always have to reside in Ottawa. It would seem to be very much not the Canadian way to go. Do you have other illustrations that show that a person couldn't live in Montreal, Quebec City, or Regina because they were a member of this board? What effect would it have in the long term on the success and the work that agency would do?