I can't confirm that there was no consultation with troops or their families. The people responsible for official languages in the Canadian armed forces are very much aware of the needs and problems in this area.
Now, as far as consultations are concerned, let me be very clear about my role as commissioner: I am neither a program nor a plan administrator. The commissioner's office has to be somewhat independent in some ways and not get too involved in developing plans. On the other hand, we do make recommendations and assess departments' and military institutions' efforts and their effects in relation to their response to our consultations.
There would be a number of questions I would want to ask if we were supposed to get involved in the implementation of a department's or the Canadian Forces' programs. We want to have a good communications relationship and be able to share information, but at the same time we need to maintain our distance.