The origins of the Canadian Museum of Nature date back to 1856 when its predecessor, the Geological Survey of Canada, was given the mandate to exhibit its native collections of plants, animals, minerals and fossils. Home to one of the world’s largest natural history collections, including 24 major science collections of more than 10 million specimens, the Museum covers four billion years of Earth history. Its current status as a federal Crown corporation dates back to 1990, when the Museums Act was proclaimed. As a national institution and member of the Canadian Heritage Portfolio, the Museum’s mandate is to increase, throughout Canada and internationally, interest in, knowledge of, and appreciation and respect for the natural world.
The Review Tribunals are independent and impartial bodies that conduct quasi-judicial hearings of appeals for individuals whose applications for Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan benefits were denied at the reconsideration stage of appeal.
The Review Tribunals sit in panels consisting of three people appointed by the Governor in Council. The Chairperson of the Tribunal must be a lawyer and a community member also sits on the panel. As ninety-five percent of hearings are related to disabilities, a disability hearing must include a medical member who is qualified to practice medicine or a prescribed related health profession in a province or territory.
The Employment Insurance Boards of Referees (EIBR) function as a first-level, independent, administrative tribunal mandated to provide fair and impartial quasi-judicial hearings of appeals of Employment Insurance decisions. Most appeals are from individual claimants, although employers may also appeal. The most frequently appealed decisions cover issues such as voluntary leaving, misconduct, and undeclared earnings during the course of a claim or fraud.