Wow. Thank you very much, Mrs. Hinton. I appreciate your comments. I will pass on your comments to other veterans I know who have been fighting. I'm sure it will mean just as much to them, if not more.
In the attachment that I provided, there are a number of considerations, the minimum considerations, for creating that ombudsman. I'd like the committee to consider those seriously in order that the ombudsman truly be something that represents and respects the dignity and legacy that veterans have provided to Canada and the sacrifices they've endured.
On a more focused level in terms of the ombudsman, there's going to be a lot of fear within the bureaucracy. There's no doubt that there will be fear. However, I would like to emphasize that the ombudsman is there for the bureaucracy too. It's not only for the employees who perhaps feel that they're not being managed properly or they have some sort of grievance; it's also for the managers. It's an effective tool.
When I was in the military as a manager and a leader, I wanted to know the truth. I wanted to know what was really going on with the men so that I could ensure that the team was the most effective possible for carrying out that job. I would hope that the same philosophy exists within the Department of Veterans Affairs, that those managers, whether it be the DM, the ADM, or all the way down to district supervisors, would want to know what the truth is out there in terms of the effectiveness of their services and programs. Are they really dealing with their client service base?
One of the most ironic things about the Department of Veterans Affairs is that you have a department that I believe is unique--and please correct me if I'm wrong--in that it is 99.9% dedicated to providing client service. Yet there's no client service response cell, no mechanisms for monitoring whether veterans services are being carried out effectively. Yes, they have internal mechanisms, but we certainly don't see how those measurements are carried out.
If I walk into a Staples or a Home Depot, I don't walk by the cash register--what they can get out of me--first. I walk by the customer service counter--how can they help me? How can they encourage the relationship of trust?
That has to be the key factor. We have to re-instil trust between the department that provides this service and the veterans, who are all about trust. That's what going into battle is all about: trusting the man beside you, trusting your leaders, and trusting your subordinates.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has to have a mindset change in terms of what it means to be in the military. Probably indicative of the fact that Veterans Affairs doesn't understand that is that they've advocated, under the new charter, priority hiring. Yet Veterans Affairs has, from what recent statistics show--and I can show this on my hand--fewer than five employees who were previously in the military.
So if Veterans Affairs wants to live up to the fact that they want to employ veterans and understand the culture, they have to step forward and listen to people, veterans like us, and have an ombudsman that can be a more powerful and articulate representative of veterans like us.