National Defence committee  As I understood it at the time, the ombudsman was responsible for the case.

National Defence committee  No. I did not get involved in any discussions about specific appointments below the level of CDS.

National Defence committee  I think in the background at all times when I was the Clerk was an effort to get to greater gender parity right across the range of appointments and communities within the reach of the federal government. It was always an issue or a driver to see if we could bend the curve, to us

National Defence committee  It would have been the collective responsibility of the minister, supported by the CDS and the deputy minister, yes.

National Defence committee  No, and the Prime Minister's Office would not get involved in internal discussions around military staffing.

National Defence committee  Yes. It's a huge issue, and there's no easy solution to this. Again, I go back and completely agree with Mr. Lick. At the end of the day, you can create formal structures, processes and accountabilities; if you don't have trust in them, people won't use them. Rideau Hall is the

National Defence committee  I don't know that I'm qualified to give an opinion on that. I have done some surfing and browsing over the last few weeks on the issue. What strikes me is that every country that has a military is grappling with how to align it with 21st century values about conduct, particularly

National Defence committee  I'm not sure there's a right launch sequence. I'd have to think about that some more, but I think the culture change and engagement is a big part of it. Trust isn't built overnight. It can be lost overnight, but it's built over years by walking the talk. I think it goes into the

National Defence committee  Yes. What I can say is that I had no knowledge of the 2015 allegations. I accepted the fact that the general had gone through a selection process and had been appointed, and I did not reopen the 2015 files.

National Defence committee  I can't tell you, because I don't know.

National Defence committee  I'm sorry. They were in May and June.

National Defence committee  Yes. I was not going to make up my own recommendations on the performance rating, or on the term of office and when the change of command should take place, out of thin air, though I was going to the Minister of National Defence and the deputy minister of national defence as my p

National Defence committee  I will get out of my depth in providing the details, and I think you could get those from Ms. Sherman or from the Treasury Board, but there is a fairly formal and structured process dealing with harassment and discrimination and conduct issues. The obligations of organizations ar

National Defence committee  You're suggesting that foreign countries would have hacked into the office of the ombudsman?

National Defence committee  Well, I think you'll have to suggest in your report what the alternative solution was. As I said, there was no complainant to interview; there were no witnesses to interview, and it would have been improper to confront the general at the time. I was not aware of the specifics of