Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to go back to something I was speaking about a few moments ago in the context of the protection of people who have come forward with allegations. One of the things that I think are really important is that we avoid the substance of or the perception of political interference in any kind of process that is meant to be arm's length, whether that be the military justice system or in the case of investigations of allegations like the ones we've heard about.
That speaks a little to why the Privy Council Office is the body that is responsible for initiating investigations of GIC-appointed individuals like the Chief of the Defence Staff, like Mr. Vance. It's important to keep that in mind as we talk a lot about this issue and there are allegations of a cover-up. It's helpful to understand that when allegations are brought forward, there's a reason we have police, investigative bodies, ombudsmen and other bodies that have been created to help address this issue. They help to investigate but also to protect those coming forward with allegations. If you bring it to a political body, you risk politicization, and that speaks to why the Privy Council Office is, currently at least, responsible for investigating those allegations against Governor in Council appointees like General Vance.
In that same spirit, I think what's happening here in this committee on this motion is something similar. The politics are getting in the way of potentially protecting the people coming forward. They are certainly getting in the way of our doing what we're elected to do, which is to fix the problems in the system and to make it better. This motion is more about politics, and it's not so much about the substance. Not only that, but it poses a massive risk to people we need to protect.
I'd urge my colleagues to think about some of the testimony we've heard from the various folks who've come forward. I'd urge us to think about some of the reports that have been written by our former Supreme Court justice and others who have talked about how we need to address allegations, how they can be brought forward in a way that's safe for members of the forces, and what kind of support needs to be provided to them and to their families. We've heard from people who have brought forward allegations themselves and about how important it is that they and their families have support. We've heard about some of the resources that need to be provided to members of CAF, not just to counsel them through this process if they make an allegation, but to help ensure they are protected.
We've heard about a number of other issues as well, and suggestions as to how we can make the system work better. We've talked about culture; my colleague Mr. Bagnell raises that regularly. We heard, I think it was two meetings ago, from a number of witnesses who spoke about the role of culture, particularly in the Canadian Armed Forces, and how that's one of the driving factors of the problem we face today.
Let's do right by the people who are being impacted by this, and let's focus on solving the problem, instead of politicizing this issue. I urge my colleagues to focus on the matter at hand. Let's help those folks; let's fix this problem going forward. That's what we're elected to do. This motion, as I said, doesn't help us to do that, but it does pose great danger to members of the forces.
Thank you.