I just want to introduce the perspective of why having the power to appoint the chair may be considered in the first place, as someone who is a Vancouverite. We have the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, with basically most of the municipalities in greater Vancouver being ones that have some aspect of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
MP Strahl just said that having the minister appoint the chair is not in the best interest of the port, and I can appreciate that. However, there are communities all interwoven and around the elements of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority that have very strong community perspectives. It may be about conservation of a certain area that the port would like to have as a gravel dump reserve, so it may be about developments that are not in line with the local communities.
My experience—and those I've heard about from other caucus members—is that there's a sense of powerlessness among the municipalities, that the port can overrule and override their interests. If there were some way to.... I mean, we may make a decision as a committee to remove the power to name a chair, but is there a way we can reflect the communities in which the ports are embedded and the fact that the ports, with noise, lights, development, emissions and so on, as well as development of sensitive lands, do affect municipalities that don't necessarily have much of a say in the board?
It's not that this was put in absent of having a rationale to make some improvements for the larger good. It was about addressing an issue that as caucus members—and I won't speak for other ports, but certainly for Port Vancouver Fraser—we've heard about from our municipalities.