VRAB is obviously a very delicate matter. As a tribunal they have to have independent authority. However, legislation and policies apply to VRAB, and resources must be managed. The oversight would ensure the legislation is being followed.
I believe it was you, Mr. Rota, who pointed out in testimony last year, making the very clear point that there is no tracking of cases when VRAB makes decisions. It's nice to treat all those individuals as separate cases, but at the same time there has to be some sort of legal precedent if they claim they're a quasi-legal tribunal.
So in terms of VRAB, I think there could be a close working relationship, especially in understanding the boundaries of crossing the line into the area of tribunal proceedings. At the same time, VRAB needs to be accountable in terms of upholding the legislation.
As it currently stands, in the Pension Act and the VRAB Act there are two mechanisms for sending files back to the department. In spite of numerous pleas, VRAB at this time will not articulate the conditions for sending a file back to the department. An ombudsman would be able to come in and say, “Wait a minute, why are we convening a tribunal for a file that could be sent back to the department under certain conditions?” That's an example of where the ombudsman would be able to work to greater efficiency.