Thank you, Mr. Perron. You're obviously telling me that the choice was a good one, and I absolutely agree with you.
The interesting thing is that, as a parliamentarian who's been around this place for so long, I think you're underestimating the power of Parliament, because you're correct. You're talking about a legislative mandate, and in many of the countries in the world where the ombudsman works well and is very effective, it's the same model that we've adopted. And we can disagree on that.
But the beauty of our system is that every day the minister, whether it's me or somebody else at this table, will be there. There will always be a Minister of Veterans Affairs who has to respond to you and other members in the House of Commons in terms of how we're responding to the ombudsman. And the report that he will table every year will have to be tabled in the House of Commons, so it will be there for you to examine.
The truth is the model that we've adopted, that other countries have adopted, is very effective. One of the things that I believe in...because I've been around this place for a while. I think, with the exception of the official critic for the Liberal Party, I've been here probably longer than most of the other members. I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I do understand the power of Parliament, of an individual member of Parliament, and how important it is to go into that place every day when you believe in something, where something's gone wrong, when you've identified a problem, and the minister has to stand in his or her place and defend their position. That's the power of the ombudsman and the power of tabling that on the floor of the House of Commons. And I would say God help any member of cabinet who disregards Parliament and the power of that very institution we're all a part of.
I'm a believer in parliamentary democracy. I'm a big believer in the power of individual members of Parliament. And I'm absolutely satisfied that the model that we brought in will do the job. And I'm convinced, Mr. Perron, that if we're sitting here a number of years from now, after that first report, the second report, the third report, we'll all agree with that. It's a model that works in other jurisdictions. I'm absolutely convinced it will work in Canada.
And you're absolutely correct that Mr. Stogran is a good choice. He comes with high reviews from men and women who knew him in the military and from our veterans communities, which we're all here to serve.
I have absolute confidence that the model we've adopted will work. We did not disregard what the committee did. We honoured much of what was stated at the committee; we'll just disagree on the model. You might want to drive a Ford and I might want to drive a Chevrolet, but at the end of the day they're both going to get us down the road.
I believe this one will serve Parliament and the veterans community well.