The minister holds many powers under the National Defence Act and has levers he can pull far, far above my pay grade. I went to the minister, as his direct report, looking for advice and guidance on what to do next. I felt that this was a very major issue.
When we're talking about the chief of the defence staff, who other than the minister should I speak to? He has the powers, under the National Defence Act, to take many actions. I was looking for advice and guidance.
I wanted to go back to this complainant and say, “You have been heard. I've taken your complaint to the highest levels of the organization.” That's what I was hoping to be able to do.