Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Very simply, I want to speak against the amendment proposed by Mr. Julian. First of all, the agency itself has been effectively operating with five members now for two years, and it's actually working. Second, this provision is actually intertwined with clause 5. If you want to take a quick look at clause 5, it is essential to improving the agency's efficiency. We're going to deal with that in a moment.
The other situation is that the act also allows, when specific expertise is required, for the appointment of up to three temporary members, and indeed, that the full members.... We can deal with that part in a minute.
This is the transportation industry. How do you decide what person represents what region? These people move around a lot. They go from job to job in different areas, because that's the nature of the business. The reality is that we have five members. There's an odd number. They won't be a stagnant board that's confronted with different issues from different regions, and indeed, it opens up a whole series of other complications that could only lead to an agency that's not going to be effective.
Their mandate, Mr. Chair, is to represent all of Canada and to represent all areas and regions of Canada. It would be, quite frankly, very cumbersome and confrontational to suggest that they should specifically represent one particular region. Their job is to represent all regions and to make sure that the job is done for all Canadians, not just specifically one or two regions.