National Defence committee  The efforts of the pilot project that General Simoneau has led over the last number of months have shed some light on some potential going forward. As we stand up this centre of expertise and digitize the process, it will allow us to illuminate areas of concern, whether in policy or unit.

National Defence committee  The Canadian Armed Forces is very much a human organization. What the member is talking about is human behaviour, whether it's reprisals, personality conflict or the like. This is a wider problem. This is a wider challenge than just reprisals. It's how we deal with each other. It's how an individual leads.

National Defence committee  There are a number of aspects to that, which I was actually surprised to find out about in our own system. For example, with retirement—not that I'm interested in this at this point—it used to be the case that to get your medical records, you had to put in an ATIP request. In 2018, that was changed.

National Defence committee  That was for medical records, and yes, that has been changed. On the issue with personnel records—and some are quite thick—that is being changed. Actually, I mentioned the briefing that the DM and I are going to have tomorrow, and that's one of the aspects being discussed. These are some of the proactive types of changes we need to make.

National Defence committee  This issue has popped up over the course of my tenure, with the pockets of resistance that you talked about. If those pockets cannot be brought along, cannot be educated—and often it's a case of education—and refuse to change for the betterment of the institution, they have to move along.

National Defence committee  I think it's more a question of perception of independence as opposed to actual independence. Regardless, it's going to be same the process that's used to appoint the JAG, who is a GIC appointee. Rob, you may have more to add on that.

National Defence committee  I have seen mid-level commanders and higher-level commanders given remedial measures and administrative action for mishandling cases and not taking appropriate action. That perception, while it may be prevalent, is changing as tangible actions, when required, are being taken.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, in a situation of this nature, a leader has nothing to be proud of. In my opinion, communication is the key to avoiding grievances. According to the committee, most grievances stem from a lack of communication. I think that it's vital to communicate better with peers, subordinates and superiors.

National Defence committee  It's my observation that our members are now much more willing to come forward than they were in the past. For me that is one sign that we are making positive change. It's not going to happen overnight, but as long as we identify those pockets of resistance and keep moving forward....

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, since I'm not familiar with this incident, I can't comment on it.

National Defence committee  Any allegations of that need to be reported and investigated. My one comment is that this would be unacceptable.

National Defence committee  It's a question of capacity, speed and responsiveness. It's about getting to grievances that truly need to be reviewed by the committee versus those that can be informally resolved. I know that General Simoneau has looked at this in detail, so I'll ask him to add his comments.

National Defence committee  That's a big question. We've undertaken so many change efforts over the course of the last number of years, whether it's on the reconstitution of our forces or growing our numbers. From that perspective, I'm very proud that over the course of the last fiscal year, we've grown both our regular and our reserve forces after three years of shrinking.

National Defence committee  This goes back to my opening comments on the analogy of going to the gym. We must be continuous in our efforts to address conduct, address issues and address challenges that are not aligned with our core values. I'm the FA for the specific case that you brought up. It's been kept at arm's length from me, but I'm aware of those allegations.

National Defence committee  To correct the record, a news release was prepared. I'm not sure of the exact timing. I imagine it went out concurrently, but it had nothing to do with any particular news outlet releasing a story about it. There was nothing to hide there. We are working on making a deliberate transition of changes of command, as is normal at this time of year.