It was very brief but to the point.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First let me join my colleagues in welcoming Monsieur Marchand back to the committee. I want to convey my appreciation for the good work he did during my tenure as minister.
I'll be sharing my time with Mr. Valley.
I would like to focus on the appointment process to VRAB and the impact the recent appointments of ex-politicians have on the integrity of the process.
In 2004 we added a screening process that was intended to vet potential candidates and ensure that only qualified people would reach the board. It was also intended to give veterans and other knowledgeable individuals who had worked with veterans in medical and community settings a fair opportunity to join the board.
Given that half the appointments are now former Conservative appointments, do you think applicants have the same sense of fairness that they might have previously had? Do you believe there is still a point in having a screening process, when at the end of the day the selection is so politically biased?
My supplementary turns to Agent Orange. I wonder if you could provide the committee with some broad statistics as to how many Gagetown appeals your board has heard in the last year, and what the outcomes have been. More particularly, what have these appeals indicated in terms of the quality of information available to determine whether a veteran has been exposed to and harmed by Agent Orange? Do you know how many appeals the department has refused to date? Do you have an estimate of the pending workload ahead of you?