I said to Parliament or to the House, not necessarily to the committee. This could be determined later, but I could easily see the Speaker of the House being in charge of this committee because the ombudsman would become a senior official of the House of Commons. He would become a senior official. As far as a Department of National Defence ombudsman goes, I should like to recall the case of André Marin. In August 2003, André Marin published a beautiful report on the SISIP, the infamous insurance plan that becomes taxable income once members of the military leave. The report was so well done that the Department—such a supporter of the veterans—told him that it would not renew his contract on July 5, 2005. That is the risk. André Marin dared to bite the hand of the minister of National Defence and found himself elsewhere. Now he has a good job; he is Ombudsman for Ontario. This is the danger I see. An ombudsman may have integrity and be impartial, as you say, but how could he go against his boss? How can he issue a report against his boss or his boss’ organization without having his knuckles rapped? That is my concern, colonel.
