Finance committee  Thank you. Division 6 amends the Human Resources and Skills Development Act as well as the Canada Pension Plan, the Old Age Security Act, and the Employment Insurance Act to create a social security tribunal, which will replace four existing tribunals that hear appeals related t

Finance committee  The idea behind combining the four tribunals into one was largely driven by administrative efficiencies and improving service to clients in terms of them knowing where to file their appeal. To answer the first part of your question on the members of the tribunal, in the first le

Finance committee  For the employment insurance side there are 39. The remainder are for pensions. So when we're hiring the individuals associated with these two sections, they will have specific skills that are required—

Finance committee  Well, we have over a thousand part-time tribunal members who hear appeals from the three programs.

Finance committee  Well, a thousand is for all of the tribunals, right?

Finance committee  But they are also part time. The members of the social security tribunal are full time. They will be doing this full time. We're also moving from three-member panels to one-member panels, which also accounts for the difference in the number of members.

Finance committee  In order to be recommended for appointment to the employment insurance section of the general division, which is the first level of appeal, the current commissioner for workers and the commissioner for employers, the employment insurance commissioners, as well as the chair of the

Finance committee  Right now, the decision of where the actual tribunal panels will be located has not been determined. It's a Governor in Council decision. In terms of regional access, part of the design of the social security tribunal and part of the savings expected to be realized through the

Finance committee  The new tribunal will open its doors in April 2013, as I mentioned. The existing tribunals will continue to hear and consider cases that are in their system at that time to ensure that it's seamless for clients.

Finance committee  They'll phase out. So new appeals coming into the systems effective April 1, 2013, will go into the social security tribunal system, whereas those already in the system will continue in the existing system.

Finance committee  It's limited to judicial review by the Federal Court.

Finance committee  We're in the process of developing the job descriptions for the competencies, experience, and skill sets that the members would be required to have to compete for these positions. They will require expertise in the area in which they will be hearing appeals, and they will also, u

Finance committee  Yes, the employment insurance commissioners are participating.

Finance committee  When someone is competing for a position as a member of the various panels, there will be criteria that he has to meet to be appointed. When they're hearing cases on, say, the Canada Pension Plan disability, they will have access to lawyers and medical expertise for their decisio

Finance committee  Exactly.