Thank you again, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Sweet has a good point. In terms of the backlog at the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, the backlog looked almost insurmountable when we took office.
The board was short a number of members. We've filled those vacancies—let's put it that way—to catch up and to get up to speed with the process. At the end of the day, it is important to veterans, because you're basically arbitrating.
As you well know, Mr. Chairman, this is a quasi-judicial body that is at arm's length from the minister. They're appointed, and the minister does not interfere. In fact, even when I meet these people at the airport, I sometimes don't want to say hello. You do not interfere in the process. It is a judicial process, and they have a very important role to play.
The truth is we are catching up. At one point, I believe we were behind several thousand cases, if you will. The number would probably shock you, but the fact is we've made 11 appointments to the board. The board is almost up to a full contingent, and we can move through those cases more efficiently. “Expeditiously” is the term we often use.
I'm very confident we'll catch up. In terms of the contingency of the board or the makeup of the board, we're pretty well up to speed there as well.