Mr. Speaker, the importance of having independent adjudicators and officers that help to negotiate what are often fields that have different interests is vital. That is no more important than in the case of occupational health and safety, where workers need an impartial arbiter on the issues. They need a place they can go that is trusted, where they can bring their concerns. If we are being honest in the House, this is often not possible within the workplace itself.
The Hon. Robert Wells, in the 2010 offshore helicopter safety inquiry, said this:
I believe that the recommendation which follows this explanatory note will be the most important in this entire Report....
I believe that the Safety Regulator should be separate and independent from all other components of offshore regulation and should stand alone, with safety being its only regulatory task....
I believe the Safety Regulator should be powerful, independent, knowledgeable, and equipped with expert advice, hence my following recommendations...
It is recommended that a new, independent, and standalone Safety Regulator be established to regulate safety in the...offshore [industry].
Hon. Robert Wells said that was the most important recommendation of the report. The government has not followed that advice, and I urge it to do so.