National Defence committee  I think getting out and giving Canadians an accurate picture of the security environment, the challenges we face and the successes we have on a regular basis is important. I will be advising my successor to come to this committee when invited, not that they would have a choice. It's about getting out and encouraging others to communicate with Canadians.

National Defence committee  I will admit that I do not have a strong opinion or strong view either way about the reporting mechanism for organizations like the ombudsman. I do know and am proud to tell you that we have a good, solid relationship. We meet frequently and value the input of these various independent actors.

National Defence committee  Given that it's before the courts, I can't really comment on it. I don't know if the JAG has more perspective.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, our judge advocate general would also like to add something.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, I'm responsible for discipline and good conduct within the forces. This is my responsibility as chief of the defence staff. In my opinion, we need to keep these responsibilities within the forces, as an institution, to ensure that we can continue to lead the forces. Do you have anything to add?

National Defence committee  As I mentioned in the last session, once the decision is made by the final authority, the member, the griever, has the right to a judicial review, which is external to the organization. That is one avenue as well. In terms of looking at other models, I'm not sure if the team has done that or not.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, that's a good question. I don't know whether there's a link between the recruitment and job training periods and our grievance system. Personally, I find it hard to see. However, I must add that members who have a grievance, after the end of the process, still have the right to judicial review outside the Canadian Armed Forces.

National Defence committee  I think the issue is the same as it is for many of the other challenges we face. It's one of a culture of risk intolerance. We must be more willing to take some short-term risks for long-term gain. We saw that very clearly in the efforts that General Simoneau led to address these grievances.

National Defence committee  In terms of priorities, it's making or streamlining our ATIP process to make sure it is much more responsive. It is making our grievance process much more responsive and transparent in our communication with the grievers so that they understand where their grievance sits. It is also continuing to make sure that we communicate the message of the great work that we're doing around the country.

National Defence committee  In terms of expenditures, those are more on the departmental side under the purview of the deputy minister, and they are clearly articulated in the annual reports that we publish for Parliament. I don't know if he had the opportunity during his testimony here to speak in more detail on that, but that's probably the best source of that type of detailed financial information.

National Defence committee  I'm going to turn to the expert, General Simoneau. He briefed me yesterday about how he's going to ensure that those lessons are moved into the centre of expertise.

National Defence committee  Yes, I agree that we need to continually evaluate how we classify information. We need to have a “need to share” mentality instead of “need to know”. This is an approach we have discussed with our closest allies as well, because often there is a tendency to compartmentalize information that would be more effective in being shared.

National Defence committee  There two aspects to that. First, on the ATIP piece, I agree that we must do better. There are a number of lines of effort that we are working on on the department side to speed things up, whether from a technological and information management perspective or from a process and personnel capacity perspective.

National Defence committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members. As the chair mentioned, I am here with Major-General Erick Simoneau, chief of staff of professional conduct and culture, who has been leading the charge on our grievance system's modernization; and our judge advocate general, Brigadier-General Rob Holman.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, there is a lot in there. Firstly, on the policy document itself, you talked about war footing. The characterization of the security environment as it applies to Canada has geopolitical, technological and climate change in there. I'm happy with that. Likewise, the strategic framework's focus on foundational readiness and deterrence is absolutely necessary.