I would perhaps use a couple of different analogies. On the one hand, I would see the office as a mechanism or voice for those people who have little or no voice, given where they are in life or their status. On the other hand, I would see ourselves—and I think it's a very important role—as the canary in the mine, as I think they say in English, where we pick up things.
Just before I came here today, Mr. Chairman, I met with all the base and wing commanders and their chief warrant officers for an hour and a half. We discussed a number of issues with them in a very open way, and they raised a number of issues with me where they said these things should be investigated or looked into by me. That's one way. So you pick up various bits of information from here and there, sometimes real issues, and then you make a report, you sit down with the minister, you sit down with the Chief of the Defence Staff, and you say these are some of the things I have picked up, and I think you should be looking into them. And if they don't respond the way you think they should, then you either launch an investigation or you issue a report. That's the analogy I would use.
The last point I would make, Mr. Chairman, is how important it is for an ombudsman to always maintain independence and impartiality. If you are to be credible to the people you serve--that is, to your constituents, but also to the organization with which you interface--you have to approach things in a way that is completely impartial, so that when there is a real issue you move it forward, and when a complaint is laid with you and you don't think the complainant has been unfairly treated, you are able to say that to them.