I think it's very important to keep in mind that for boards of directors of port authorities in Canada, once appointed to the board of directors, your fiduciary duty is to the port authority, not to the body that appointed you. Therefore, having the minister appointing over the top of that in a more political manner seems to be inconsistent with that approach. It also means that the chair would not necessarily enjoy the confidence of the board.
The legislation says that it will be done in consultation with the board of directors. From our perspective, different ministers will have different approaches, and having the chair appointed that way creates a significant leverage point.