Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct, but in the final analysis, he is an agent of the Crown. He's an agent of Parliament, which takes him right back to the fact that he was appointed by members of Parliament.

Veterans Affairs committee  I see it as friendly and advisory, and one more port of call to which a veterans organization could go if it were unhappy about a decision. It doesn't mean that he twists the ombudsman's arm. An ombudsman has to be a very strong person who has to know the law. But when it came up, the veterans organizations in Canada all said they would support an ombudsman if that was the way the Woods committee was going to go, 26 years ago.

Veterans Affairs committee  Merci beaucoup. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In accordance with a procedure I established for myself many years ago, I never read a brief. I do, however, bring along some notes. I provide the committee with notes in both French and English, and I would use these notes for my ten minutes to explain what we mean by an ombudsman.