Human Resources committee  Okay. So right now, under the proposed legislation, it will be moved to an arm's-length—

Human Resources committee  The EI Commission.

Human Resources committee  Maybe I could start. I would suggest that the first change is that currently the rate-setting for the EI is conducted by the EI Commission, which is chaired by the deputy minister, and I believe the associate deputy minister is—

Human Resources committee  The legislation does not specify whether they are full- or part-time, but with the very focused mandate of the organization, I expect there will be part-time appointees.

Human Resources committee  I'll answer that one. The seven-member board was deemed appropriate in light of the very focused mandate of this particular board in relationship to some of the other boards you may be familiar with. It will be run by a board of directors, on a part-time basis, with the necessary skills and experience to carry out the organization's mandate.

Human Resources committee  The legislation does not specify a budget. One of the first requirements of the board of directors will be to establish a corporate plan and a budget for consideration by the Treasury Board, and then it will be tabled in Parliament.

Human Resources committee  We expect it to be a very small, focused organization in light of the mandate, but I am not aware of a dollar value assigned for a budget.

Human Resources committee  If I may also add to this, the legislation provides that the board may invest the reserve until it is required to pay for benefits. So it's anticipated that the operating costs of the board would be more than covered by any investments they might generate against the reserve.

Human Resources committee  I would like to add to that regarding a few of the recording mechanisms. It is arm's length from the government. It will be accountable to Parliament via the Minister of HRSDC and will report publicly on activities and results. For example, quarterly financial statements will be made available publicly.

Human Resources committee  That is not specified in the legislation.

Human Resources committee  Maybe I could respond to the member's questions with regard to the process for appointing the board of directors. As indicated in the opening remarks, the board of directors will be selected from a list prepared by a nominating committee. The chair of the nominating committee will be appointed by the minister, based on merit.

Human Resources committee  The legislation provides that the board of directors may consult on the establishment of EI rate-setting. The act does not specify how and when that consultation is to be undertaken, so it would be up to the board of directors to establish that process.

Human Resources committee  To my knowledge, it is not specified in the legislation, but I am certain that those guidelines will be brought to the attention of the board of directors for consultation. The act does specify a public report by the board of directors on the premium rate-setting process and consultations by the directors, as well as the tabling of other public documents to Parliament.

Human Resources committee  The nominating committee chair is selected by the minister based on merit. That individual, as well as the two existing EI commissioners, will be responsible for proposing the list of board of directors.