Mr. Speaker, to nail this down a little more, I want to get back to the case the member referred to. Last week I brought this to the attention of the House.
Miss Olafson from Cold Lake appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs, having been encouraged by the minister, the chief of defence staff and others. She was somewhat critical of the department, like some people on the base at Cold Lake. After, she received a letter from the deputy judge advocate, Colonel Barber, who strongly criticized her for what she had said at the committee meeting. At the end of the letter he threatened her against continuing.
Under the current system, before this legislation which is being proposed passes, independence is an issue. It is a critical issue. Who indicated that the letter should be written? Was it Colonel Barber completely, the deputy judge advocate who decided to write that letter, or was it the base commander, or was it the minister of defence who said to the deputy judge advocate to write the letter? We do not know because the independence is not there.
Under the new proposals the minister has put forth, would there be the proper level of independence so that the judge advocate's office would not write the letter unless it felt it was proper, and not as a result of pressure from above?