Mr. Speaker, the issue here is not competence or integrity. The issue here is perception by the people of British Columbia, most important, and the people who will be appearing before this tribunal.
When the tribunal was originally established, according to the terms of reference of the tribunal, it states:
The Public Review Panel is represented by unbiased, well-respected experts appointed by the Minister of Natural Resources Canada....
How can anybody seriously suggest that a director of Talisman Energy is unbiased on this? How can anybody seriously suggest that the former mayor who lobbied actively to lift this moratorium is unbiased? These people clearly have a bias, and this makes a complete mockery out of this process. It is a stacked tribunal. Obviously the Conservatives and Liberals together are doing whatever they can, together with their friends in the provincial Liberal government of British Columbia, to move to lift this moratorium.
How can the minister possibly say these people do not bring a bias when they clearly support lifting the moratorium?