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Canada Pension Plan / Old Age Security Review Tribunals - Annual Report 2000-2002
October 2002 The Honourable Jane Stewart, Q.C., M.P. Dear Ms Stewart: I am pleased to submit to you the Seventh Annual Report of the Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security Review Tribunals. This report covers our activities and expenditures for the period April 1, 2000, to March 31, 2002. The decline in the volume of appeals during this period has allowed us to take important steps towards improving substantially the quality of the Review Tribunal appeal process. Reform measures set in motion during the last two fiscal years have begun raising the standard of fairness by ensuring Appellants are much better prepared for hearings and have access to resources that ensure a more equitable balance of advantage among the parties to an appeal. We have also launched training initiatives for Tribunal Members to ensure that they are better versed in the legislation, rules of evidence and alternate techniques for dispute resolution, more capable of assessing medical evidence and more responsive to the situation of Appellants and their cultural diversity. As you read this report, you will see that these changes constitute significant achievements. Yet much remains to be done, both in administrative and policy terms, to improve the quality and fairness of the appeal system and the capacity of the Canada Pension Plan to serve the most vulnerable members of our society. I wish to acknowledge the excellent work and dedication of my Deputy Commissioner, Guy Arseneault, and his predecessor, Margaret McGrath, as well as our staff at headquarters in Ottawa and our Panel Members across the country. Without their help, support and professionalism, we could not have made the important advances described in this report. Yours sincerely,
G. Peter Smith, |
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