Not necessarily; the access the ombudsman or any GIC—or anybody in the department, for that matter—has is determined by a memorandum of understanding or by what their contract is. In the case of the veterans ombudsman, there is an order in council that very specifically gives him certain authorities, and it very specifically outlines things for which he does not have authority. Whether he's a level 2, a 6, or a 5 is really irrelevant to that part of the discussion. The key part is the mandate he was given by the Government of Canada. That's what's really germane to this debate.
On June 1st, 2009. See this statement in context.