Ms. Hinton, I see a problem. The first good testimony we have heard since we have been examining the ombudsman issue is Mr. Marin’s testimony this afternoon. He came to the committee prepared to talk about the ombudsman position.
I don’t want to say anything against the former president and the new President of the Canadian Legion, but they hesitated and sometimes answered yes, sometimes no. I understand these people do not want speak out with more assurance; they have nothing in front of them. If a bill or a draft gave them a definition of an ombudsman...They don’t even have the government’s definition.
Ask Ms. Richard , who is here, to talk to us about the ombudsman for 10 minutes. Instead she could talk to us for two hours about veterans who took part in the Gulf War and it would be very interesting. However, she does not have any tools for talking to us about the ombudsman. We should give her a copy of the Ontario or Quebec legislation and ask her what she thinks of it.
Give people the tools to come and tell us what they think. Give them something concrete. Right now, the ombudsman is like the Holy Spirit, a vague notion.
What is the government’s definition of an ombudsman?