Madam Chair, it is unfortunate to hear such allegations. The NEB decisions are made by a team of seven full-time and four part-time board members. The board members are recruited through competition and through their expertise in the field. The NEB is independent, unbiased and operates at arm's length from the government. The NEB regulates more than 71,000 kilometres of pipeline, shipping approximately $75 billion worth of oil and gas. This was the number in 2009. The NEB regulates 1,500 kilometres of power lines that transmitted $3 billion of electricity in 2009 once again.
It is just unfortunate to hear those kinds of statements.