Minister, thank you for being here. I would like to follow up on Senator Mockler’s comments.

It’s important that you understand some of the gaps we currently have in the Senate. We have no farmers. We’re about to get what used to be called the TPP, now the CPTPP, and we have no farmers here. It’s a major issue, as you know, for the agricultural community. We have no fishers — men or women — here, and we have no veterans. We constantly hear complaints about veterans, particularly below the rank of colonel, who they allege are not receiving the treatment they or their families should be receiving from Veteran Affairs. The government has a policy, as you know, minister, to hire medically released veterans on a priority basis.

If you could give some consideration to those gaps we currently have in the Senate — farmers, fishers and veterans — that would enrich our debate and fill in areas that are obviously a problem now when we view legislation and we don’t have those voices here.

Ms. Gould: Certainly, and thank you, Senator Downe, for that very important intervention.

Following my last appearance here, close to 18 months ago now, I returned to the appointments section at PCO and encouraged them to expand their search. That is partly why we have enshrined in the application process the ability for organizations to nominate individuals. As I mentioned earlier, the interaction with organizations across the country went from 800, which is considerable, to 1,700 precisely for that reason, because it was brought up by one of your honourable colleagues previously.

As I mentioned to your colleague earlier, I would encourage everyone in this chamber that, should you know an organization or an individual who you think would make an excellent colleague of yours, you should definitely encourage them to apply or for an organization to nominate someone in one of those fields to apply to the Senate.

Thank you very much, and I will bring that message back with me as well.