We have discovered why the federal government cannot find enough people to adjudicate on its Social Security Tribunal. Murielle Brazeau, Chair of the tribunal, explains on its web site that the tribunal is fair, transparent and impartial. That must be why the Conservatives cannot find more people. There must be a limited supply of fair and impartial people among Canada’s Conservatives. There used to be about 1000 people working part time for Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security. The new tribunal serving the three agencies is trying to do the job with less than 70 people.
And then maybe the problem rests with Treasury Board President Tony Clement. This gentleman has the government purse strings in his hands. If he is not allowed to build anymore public washrooms in his Parry Sound-Muskoka electoral district, he is not going to help any of his colleagues to build them in their electoral districts. He appears to think his job is to make sure the budget deficit is thoroughly beaten next year so that the Conservatives can promise more tax cuts.
It hardly bothers Tony Clement and his ideological colleagues that they are taking out their promises on those Canadians least able to complain. These are the sick and disabled who need fast and fair assessments of their needs for government assistance.
What really rubs the wrong way in this situation is that the tribunal is supposed to be an independent administrative tribunal to provide an efficient, effective and independent appeal process. What it really creates is more barriers. It was handed a caseload of more than 7000 appeals a year ago and has disposed of only 500 of them. In the meantime, the caseload keeps growing at about 3000 per year.
And this ‘independent body’ still reports to Employment and Social Development Minister Jason Kenney. The Calgary colleague of Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues to look after the needs of the Conservative Party in anticipation of the time he hopes to inherit the prime minister’s job. He has turned a deaf ear on the appeals of the tribunal for help in doing its job.
The government’s stated intention in creating the new Social Security Tribunal was to save the government $25 million per year. It appears they are doing better than forecast on the backs of those who need help.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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