ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 5 hearing. This tool is proving to be a very effective mechanism in managing cases in order to determine their complexity. As a result, over the past fiscal year, the Tribunal drafted a significant number of orders to allow hearings to be conducted in a fair, equitable and expeditious manner. Among the milestone events of the year, I would be remiss not to mention the November 9, 2017 decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Mario Côté inc. case. Indeed, in that case, the Court dismissed the application for leave to appeal. This decision confirms the constitutionality of the absolute liability regime for agriculture and agri-food administrative monetary penalties (AMPs). It is also a priority for me to complete the hearings and the issuance of the decisions in this matter during the current fiscal year in order to close this important chapter in the Tribunal’s history. Lastly, I feel it is equally important in this first annual report to address the challenges and opportunities that the Tribunal will face in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Indeed, the transition period coupled with the impact of the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in the Mario Côté inc. case has resulted in a record number of hearings to be held by the Tribunal during the current fiscal year. In addition, the complexity of the cases is constantly increasing as a result of the recent legislative amendments adding violations to the Meat Inspection Act and the Meat Inspection Regulations to the Tribunal’s review jurisdiction. In the short term, I believe that, with the appointment of new part-time members, a first step has been taken to enable the Tribunal to absorb the increase in requests for review. However, I am of the view that there is still much to be done, in close cooperation with ATSSC representatives, to obtain the necessary human and financial resources to ensure an impartial, fair, and expeditious process. Luc Bélanger Chairperson Central to my priorities is the opportunity to redefine the Tribunal’s mission in order to improve access to justice, especially for self-represented litigants.