National Defence committee  While on good behaviour....

National Defence committee  There were none whatsoever.

National Defence committee  As I said, I do believe there's a role for us here. I do believe we bring a certain impartiality and oversight to that type of review. I agree with you 100% that there has to be opportunity for people to come forward. I'm hoping that, when the terms of reference are known, this external committee is going to look at not only solutions to the issues but whatever plans we are putting in place to move us forward and away from this type of behaviour.

National Defence committee  I think it is something that needs more attention. I'm aware of the situation. I think the report that just came out from the committee also has concerns about it. Alain has some information maybe that he could share with us. But yes, we're aware of the issue and the timelines. It has been of great concern for us, and I think this office has reported on it several times in the past.

National Defence committee  As Alain said, those types of cases are not handled by our office. They are handed off to the proper authorities. As to what recourse happens from there, I'll have to fall back on Alain's experience again. Having been a military member, he may tell you what steps are in place. But again, once you know it's a sexual assault case, it's turned over to those authorities.

National Defence committee  That's on sexual harassment and not on sexual assault.

National Defence committee  Yes. Unless you have served, I don't think you ever understand the esprit de corps. When I look at it from the outside, I do believe I know enough about how the structure works to be able to push the right buttons or pull the right levers to help ease someone's case, or whatever it might be, to move forward their issue.

National Defence committee  I believe so. We want to talk about values. One thing I want to bring to the table, which I think probably influences everything I do, is respect—whether it's respect for the individual, fairness in a process, respect for the chain of command, or respect for the rights of others.

National Defence committee  The first thing Alain showed me when I showed up was the radar, which has a whole bunch of stuff on it. One of the things we're working on right now, which is getting close to completion, is reserve force compensation. That report is just about finished or ready to publish. There's another one that's coming out very shortly.

National Defence committee  I may not be able to do so at this time. I can speak French, but I have noticed that the vocabulary and phrases used in this environment greatly differ from those used in other environments. I think it's really important for me to take the time to properly understand the overall situation.

National Defence committee  If that's okay with you, I will answer in English, since the issue is very nuanced. From an ombudsman's perspective, when I came into this role, I was very pleased to see that 98% of my staff are bilingual. That's an amazing number, and I'm very pleased with it. I'll let Alain speak to what happens on the ground with training, but we are in a country that has two official languages.

National Defence committee  I think anyone who would like to join the forces should be afforded the same opportunities. I also believe they should be afforded the same type of service. If someone has suffered a mental injury or an operational stress injury because of the service, they should have access to it.

National Defence committee  Well, I think the history I have with Veterans Affairs allows me to quickly understand what happens from the point of release through the transition period. I did spend about 10 years with the Department of National Defence prior to joining Veterans Affairs, so I'm familiar with the chain of command and basically with how things work.

National Defence committee  I think a broad base of experience is not going to hurt me. I think it will stand me well. You know, I do understand different perspectives, and because of my experience and my background and with my educational credentials, I think I'm well prepared to take on the diversity of this portfolio.

National Defence committee  To measure success, I think there are two pieces. There's the tangible piece, which we can easily measure and count by the number of recommendations we've made and how many have been accepted, how many cases we're getting, how many we're closing. I think that's a very tangible number-counting issue.